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BYAlBEET  LOREN  CHENEY 


1 


As  a  Sirl  S*w 


THEODORE   ROOSEVELT 

No  son};  or  praise  of  men  can  honor  add  to  him. 
Who  nobly  walk'd  the  earth,  yet  his  own  pathway  trod. 
Now  fame  holds  high  her  torch  lest  weary  eyes  and  dim, 
In  vain  might  seek  to  pierce  death's  ebon  shadows  grim. 
And  miss  the  radiant  path  he  walk'd  toward  God. 

THOMAS  H.  HEKNDON. 


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COPYRIGHT,    UNDEF 

KOOSBVBLT 


30D   &    UNDERWOOD 


The  records  of  the  War  Department  show  that  Qnentin  Roosevelt 
was  appointed  First  Lieutenant,  Aviation  Section.  Signal  Officers 
Reserve  Corps,  on  July  (5,  11)17:  that  he  accepted  July  7.  15)17:  was 
assigned  to  active  duty  at  Fort  Wood.  X.  Y..  July  !.">.  11)17:  that  he 
was  born  November  19,  1SD7 :  that  he  was  killed  in  aerial  combat  on 
enemy's  side.  July  14.  1D1S.  while  a  member  of  the  l)."»th  Aero  Squadron, 
First  Pursuit  Group,  and  buried  near  Chambry-Marne,  Grave  No.  1. 
Commune.  No.  102.  Coulonges,  Aisne.  See  paj^e  IIS. 


"Give  every  Man  [and  Woman]  a  Square  Deal/ 


PERSONAL    MEMOIRS 

OF  THE 

HOME    LIFE 

OF  THE  LATE 

Theodore  Roosevelt 

Soldier,  Governor,  Vice  President, 
and  President,  in  relation 
to  Oyster  Bay 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS 


BY 

ALBERT  LOREN  CHENEY. 
Formerly  Editor  of  the  Oyster  Bay  Pilot 


SECOND  EDITION 


1919 

THE  CHENEY  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
WASHINGTON,    D.    C. 


Copyright,  1919, 

BY  ALBERT  LOBEN  CHENEY 


TO  THE  PUBLIC 

A  share  of  the  net  proceeds  received  from  the  sale 
of  this  look  will  be  contributed  to  the  fund  for 
the  establishment  of  the  proposed  Roosevelt  Memo 
rial  Park  at  Oyster  Bay. 

Respectfully, 

THE  PUBLISHER. 
Washington.  D.   G. 
October,  1919. 


470144 


THIS  BOOK 

IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED  TO  THE 

FRIENDS  AND  NEIGHBORS  OF 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

ON 

GOOD   OLD   LONG  ISLAND — ONE   OF   THE 
GARDEN  SPOTS  OF  AMERICA. 


CONTENTS 


REVISED  CONTENTS 

I'ayc 

Addenda 137 

Roosevelt  and  the  Cartoonists 138 

The  "Peaceful  Roosevelts" 139 

Roosevelt  and  Riis 140 

"As  a  Girl  Saw  Theodore  Roosevelt" 142 

Publishers*  Announcement  ,  153 


REVISED  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FRONTISPIECE Roosevelt,  the  Citizen. 

Lieut.-Col.  Roosevelt,  Jr. 
Lieut.  Quentin  Roosevelt. 
Col.  Roosevelt,  Rough  Rider. 

The  Man  Who  "Bossed"  Roosevelt 30 

Home  Reception  35 


CONTENTS. 

Pages 

To  the  Public v 

Foreword   xvii 

"Roosevelt,  the  Man," xxiii 

Oyster  Bay xxiv 

I   Chapter — Roosevelt,  the  Soldier 1 

II  Chapter— While  Governor   13 

III  Chapter — When  Vice-President 35 

IV  Chapter — As  President   55 

President  Roosevelt's  "Shadow" 66 

Roosevelt  Memorial  Association   117 

Quentin  Roosevelt  Post,  American  Legion.  118 

Roosevelt's  Famous  Race  Suicide  Letter  .  .  121 

"Songs  and  Tears"  for  the  President 122 

Firemen's  Tribute  to  Roosevelt 127 

Chronological  Record  of  Roosevelt 128 

Col.  Roosevelt's  Final  Appeal  , 132 

Last  Words  of  Theodore  Roosevelt 134 

ix 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FRONTISPIECE — Lieut.-Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt. 

Page 
The  Author   xvi 

Following  Page 

Oyster  Bay  Shore  Front xxiv 

Col.  Roosevelt  in  Camp  at  Montauk. 
Members  of  the  Executive  Force  at  Oyster 

Bay. 

Col.  Roosevelt's  Former  "Work  Shop." 
Trophy  Cannon  presented  to  Oyster  Bay. .         14 
The  Roosevelt  Residence  at  Sagamore  Hill. 
The  Roosevelts  on  Horseback. 
Col.  Roosevelt  in  Action. 
The  Man  who  "Bossed"  President 

Roosevelt    30 

Man  Who  Traveled  Eight  Years  with  Mr. 

Roosevelt. 

Reception  to  the  President. 
Where  President  Roosevelt  Voted. 


xiii 


Following  Page 

From  Reporter  to  Collector  of  the  Port  of 

New  York 46 

Former  Owner  of  the  Oyster  Bay  Pilot. 

Newspaper  Representatives  at  Oyster  Bay. 

Oyster  Bay  Pilot  Office. 

Theodore  Roosevelt  When  President 62 

Photograph  Taken  at  Request  of  President 
Roosevelt. 

Mrs.  Theodore  Roosevelt  and  Two  Sons. 

Lieut.-Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Jr 78 

Notification  Committee  at  Sagamore  Hill . .         94 

The  "Summer  White  House"  at  Oyster 

Bay  126 

Interior  of  Christ  Church  at  Oyster  Bay. 
William  Craig,  Who  Gave  His  Life  for  the 

President. 
Grave  of  Theodore  Roosevelt. 


xiv 


FOREWORD 


(Formerly  Publisher  of  the   Oyster  Bay   Pilot.) 


FOREWORD 

"A  70LUMES  will  be  written  upon  the  public  life 
V  of  Theodore  Roosevelt.  Volumes  will  be 
necessary  to  recite  the  story  properly,"  predicted 
the  Washington  Post  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Roose 
velt's  sudden  death. 

Referring  to  his  home  life,  the  same  newspaper, 
published  in  the  National  Capital  where  Theodore 
Roosevelt  was  so  well  known,  said  of  him  edi 
torially  : 

Now  that  all  men  may  look  upon  him  as  in  the  past,  what 
virtues  appear  in  him !  His  heart  was  pure  and  good  in  the 
personal  relations  of  his  life.  He  cherished  home,  and  was 
never  happier  than  when  in  the  bosom  of  his  family.  His 
helpmeet,  always  beloved  in  Washington,  will  be  sustained 
by  the  thought  that  love  and  consideration  were  the  rule  in 
her  home,  securely  closed  to  the  storm  of  public  strife.  He 
was  proud  of  his  children,  as  he  might  well  have  been,  and 
when  his  sons  proved  their  valor  in  the  great  war  he  entered 
with  the  keenest  zest  into  every  incident  of  their  service.  The 
White  House  never  more  truly  represented  the  better  side 
of  American  life  than  when  it  was  occupied  by  the  Roosevelt 
family.  Its  members  were  all  fortunate  in  winning  the 
hearty  affection  of  their  Washington  neighbors. 

National  sentiment  is  largely  reflected  by  the 
newspapers  published  in  the  Capital  of  the  United 
States.  The  editors  may  have  disagreed  with  Mr. 

xvii 


xviii  FOREWORD 

Roosevelt  concerning  many  things,  but  in  the  final 
accounting  they  gave  him  a  "square  deal,"  as  the 
following  extracts  taken  from  their  editorials  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  will  show : 

The  Star:  Theodore  Roosevelt,  judged  by  any  standard, 
and  on  a  world  scale  was  a  very  remarkable  man.  He  had 
great  and  varied  gifts  and  employed  them  to  high  and 
noble  ends.  ...  He  loved  the  country  and  wanted  all 

nations    to    love    it He    was    known    wherever 

America  is  known  and  appraised  at  a  commanding  figure. 
His  Americanism  was  as  distinct  and  luminous  as  Lincoln's 
and  will  preserve  his  fame  to  late  generations. 

The  Herald:  Even  his  enemies,  for  Colonel  Roosevelt 
made  enemies,  made  them  because  he  was  a  great  man,  will 

admit  his  sterling  qualities  and  sincerity The 

first  citizen  of  the  Republic  has  passed,  for  Colonel  Roosevelt 
embodied  the  American  spirit  to  a  higher  degree  than  any 

man  living His  public  service  eclipses  by  far 

any  mistakes  he  might  have  made.  He  was  a  prodigious  force 
for  American  welfare  and  our  loss  will  become  more  evident 
as  our  need  for  leadership  looms  stronger. 

The  Times :  Theodore  Roosevelt  died  too  young,  far  short 
of  the  alloted  span.  But  he  had  lived  in  one  day  more  than 
many  men  live  in  a  lifetime.  .  .  .  His  friends  find  com 
fort  in  the  fact  that  there  was  little,  if  anything,  that  the 
world  failed  to  give  him.  Fortunate  birth,  good  education, 
independent  wealth,  a  field  of  infinite  activity,  the  Presi 
dency  of  the  United  States  twice,  and  the  affection  of 
millions  following  him  to  the  grave. 

The  historian  will,  of  necessity,  record  to  the 
minutest  degree,  important  events  entering  into 


FOREWORD  xix 

the  public  life  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  whose  sturdy 
character,  so  deeply  impressed  upon  the  minds  of 
the  American  people,  will  shine  forth  brighter  and 
clearer  as  facts  concerning  his  eventful  career  are 
unfolded  around  his  world-honored  name. 

Our  humble  volume,  however,  will  be  confined 
chiefly  to  the  compiler's  personal  knowledge  of 
Theodore  Roosevelt  as  a  close  friend  and  neighbor ; 
but  the  plain,  every-day  story  must  necessarily  be 
somewhat  personal  to  the  narrator  in  order  to  give 
added  interest  to  the  incidents  recited,  and  also  to 
prove  the  exact  truth  of  the  statements  made,  thus 
carefully  avoiding  exaggeration. 

We  search  history  to  ascertain  just  how  Napo 
leon,  the  Emperor,  or  the  Kings  and  all  rulers, 
treated  the  common  people;  and  so  the  deeper 
we  delve  into  the  home  record  of  Theodore  Roose 
velt,  the  more  it  is  demonstrated  that  he  was 
"of  the  people  and  for  the  people,"  and  lived  what 
he  loved  to  preach:  the  simple  life — just  as  Mrs. 
Roosevelt  lives  it,  and  just  as  she  would  have 
it  always,  by  word  and  deed. 


In  order  to  be  able  to  participate  in  the  Roose 
velt  drive  in  October,  it  has  been  necessary  to 
speed  up  the  work  on  this  little  volume — all  the 


xx  FOREWORD 

labor  being  done  at  night,  after  days  of  strenuous 
duties.  There  was  no  managing  editor  to  make 
timely  suggestions,  nor  alert  copy  reader  to  touch 
up  the  hastily  prepared  paragraphs.  It  was  found 
difficult  to  procure  desired  material  promptly ;  and 
there  was  no  time  for  studied  literary  eif ect.  Con 
sidering  these  adverse  circumstances,  it  is  sincere 
ly  to  be  hoped  that  our  good  friend,  The  Critic,  will 
be  charitable  enough  to  pass  over  and  excuse  the 
defects  in  the  book,  especially  as  one  of  the  pur 
poses  of  its  publication  is  to  help  in  a  good  cause, 
thus  according  a  "square  deal"  to — 

THE  AUTHOR. 


"ROOSEVELT,  THE  MAN." 


«»T-HE  impress  that  Theodore  Roosevelt's  per- 
A  sonality  has  made  upon  the  world  does  not 
need  emphasis.  Whatever  his  fame  as  a  states 
man  it  can  never  outrun  his  fame  as  a  man.  How 
ever  widely  men  may  differ  from  him  in  matters  of 
national  policy,  this  thing  men  in  their  hearts 
would  all  wish,  that  their  sons  might  have  within 
them  the  spirit,  the  will,  the  strength,  the  manli- ; 
ness,  the  Americanism,  of  Roosevelt.  He  was 
made  of  that  rugged  and  heroic  stuff  with  which 
legend  delights  to  play.  The  Idylls  and  Sagas  and 
the  Iliads  have  been  woven  about  men  of  his  mold. 
We  may  surely  expect  to  see  developed  a  Roose 
velt  legend,  a  body  of  tales  that  will  exalt  the 
physical  power  and  endurance  of  the  man  and  the 
boldness  of  his  spirit,  his  robust  capacity  for 
blunt  speech,  and  his  hearty  comradeship,  his  live 
interest  in  all  things  living — these  will  make  our 
boys  for  the  long  future  proud  that  they  are  of 
his  race  and  country. 

"And  no  surer  fame  than  this  can  come  to  any 
man — to  live  in  the  hearts  of  the  boys  of  his  land 
as  one  whose  doings  and  sayings  they  would  wish 
to  make  their  own." — Tribute  paid  to  the  Memory 
of  Theodore  Roosevelt  by  the  Hon.  Franklin  K. 
Lane,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  January  7,  1919. 


OYSTER  BAY  is  delightfully  situated  on  the 
north  side  of  Long  Island,  distant  one 
hour's  ride  from  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn  Bor 
oughs.  Population  6,500. 

Oyster  Bay  has  a  picturesque  frontage,  consist 
ing  of  two  of  the  finest  sheets  of  water  in  the 
world,  known  as  the  east  bay  and  the  west  bay. 
Its  table-lands,  magnificent  hills,  many  miles  of 
splendid  macadamized  roads,  romantic  streets, 
cooling  breezes  and  pure  spring  water,  make  it  one 
of  the  greatest  health  resorts  in  America.  The 
vital  statistics  of  the  town  show  a  yearly  death 
rate  of  only  12  in  1000. 

Some  of  the  finest  and  most  costly  residences 
in  this  country,  owned  by  prominent  men,  are 
located  in  Oyster  Bay. 

On  Centre  Island  is  the  home  of  the  famous 
Seawanhaka-Corinthian  Yacht  Club;  and  many 
celebrated  yachts  anchor  in  the  harbor. 

The  Oyster  Bay  Bank,  the  North  Shore  Bank, 
a  fine  Union  High  School,  a  Free  Library,  a  Board 
of  Trade,  six  well-supported  Churches,  Titus'  gen 
eral  machine  shop,  Davenport's  Hotel,  Sagamore 
Hotel  on  the  bay,  the  Oyster  Bay  Inn,  an  Opera 
House,  and  two  weekly  newspapers  are  among  the 
notable  institutions. 

Oyster  Bay  is  famed  for  its  splendid  drives,  as 
well  as  its  oysters,  and  fine  fishing. 

NOTE. — The  above  description  of  Oyster  Bay  was .  written  for  the 
Pilot  by  the  Author  fifteen  years  ago.  Several  lines  have  been  changed 
to  meet  present  day  conditions.  XXIV 


From  "Our  Patriotic  President" 

Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt  in  Camp  at  Montauk,  L.  I. 
(Giving  the  order  to  disband  his  regiment.) 


Members  of  the  Summer  White  House  Executive  Force  at 
Oyster  Bay  in  1905,  with  their  families. 

The  late  B.  F.  Barnes,  formerly  postmaster  of  Washington,  D.  C.. 
is  seated  on  the  steps  in  the  foreground  at  the  left  of  the  picture 
and  faces  Elmer  E.  Paine,  formerly  of  the  Associated  Press.  M.  C. 
Latta,  who  carries  messages  from  the  White  House  to  the  Capitol  is 
seated  in  the  last  row  and  to  the  right  of  the  picture. 


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»"§• 


ROOSEVELT,  THE  SOLDIER,  AT  OYSTER 
BAY 


Y  ACQUAINTANCE  with  Theodore 
Roosevelt  dates  from  the  time  he  arrived 
in  Oyster  Bay  from  San  Juan,  in  the  late 
summer  of  1898;  and  his  first  visit  to 
the  Pilot  office  was  both  interesting  and 
amusing. 

I  was  absent  at  the  time  Mr.  Roosevelt  called. 
My  wife  happened  to  be  in  the  editorial  room 
when  she  saw  a  carriage  stop  in  front  of  the  build 
ing,  and  a  distinguished-looking  gentleman  alight 
ed,  entered  the  office,  and  with  gleaming  teeth,  and 
in  a  very  slow,  emphatic  tone,  asked  to  see  the 
editor.  My  wife  was  awed  at  first  and  somewhat 
alarmed,  thinking  the  gentleman  had  a  grievance 
against  the  Pilot. 

Mr.  Roosevelt's  fame  and  popularity  had  caused 
an  enterprising  toy  manufacturing  concern  to  put 
on  the  market  a  tin  whistle  in  imitation  of  Mr. 


2  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Roosevelt's  famous  teeth;  and  the  boys  on  the 
streets  had  been  using  them  overtime.  When  the 
distinguished  gentleman  again  smiled,  my  wife 
recognized  him  from  the  tin-whistle  teeth,  and 
said: 

"Have  I  the  honor  of  addressing  Colonel  Roose 
velt?" 

Mr.  Roosevelt  acknowledged  his  identity;  and 
when  I  arrived  he  was  seated  with  one  foot  under 
him,  in  the  editor's  chair,  making  himself  very 
much  at  home.  He  stated  his  errand,  and  later  en 
gaged  my  daughter  as  his  secretary. 


veritable  avalanche  of  letters  showered 
upon  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  started  by  the  news 
papers  and  magazine  writers  after  he  arrived  from 
San  Juan.  When  word  was  received  by  the  Pilot 
that  Colonel  Roosevelt  was  on  his  way  home  from 
Cuba  via  Montauk  Point,  the  editor  realized  that 
Colonel  Roosevelt  was  looked  upon  as  a  hero,  and 
that  a  good  news  story  was  in  sight.  He  rode 
around  the  village  on  a  bicycle,  stirred  up  the 
people,  told  them  that  their  famous  fellow  towns 
man  should  be  received  with  honors,  and  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  crowd  gathered  at  the 
depot. 


SOLDIER  3 

Then  it  became  known  through  a  telegram  re 
ceived  by  Mrs.  Roosevelt  that  Colonel  Roosevelt 
had  been  stalled  at  Jamaica,  L.  I.,  and  would 
not  arrive  in  Oyster  Bay  until  seven  o'clock. 

Everybody  went  home  to  supper  and  told  every 
body  else,  and  at  seven  o'clock  it  seemed  as  though 
the  entire  population  of  the  village  had  congre 
gated  around  the  railroad  station. 

A  huge  bonfire  was  lighted,  and  when  the  train 
arrived  there  was  a  howling,  cheering  mob  of 
people  to  greet  the  Colonel  who  was  dressed  in 
his  khaki  uniform.  So  great  was  the  crush  that 
a  horse  near  the  railroad  station  platform  was 
lifted  from  its  feet  and  thrown  bodily  over  on  its 
back;  the  clothes  were  literally  torn  from  a  little 
girl ;  and  hats  were  scattered  everywhere. 

Across  the  main  street  in  front  of  the  Pilot 
office  hung  a  banner  bearing  the  words: 


WELCOME  COLONEL! 


When  Colonel  Roosevelt  passed  under  it,  he  rose 
in  his  carriage,  took  off  his  hat  and  exclaimed : 

"This  is,  indeed,  a  surprise !" 

Realizing  the  importance  of  getting  the  story  to 
the  newspapers,  the  editor  rushed  to  the  depot,  but 
the  station  agent  was  about  to  leave  and  refused 


4  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

to  telegraph  more  than  twenty-five  words.  Board 
ing  a  train  about  to  leave  for  New  York,  the  scribe 
wrote  a  story  en  route,  and  hustled  it  to  the  office 
of  the  New  York  Herald.  Taking  the  elevated 
train  in  New  York  he  wrote  another  story  and 
left  it  at  the  New  York  Sun  office.  Then  he 
telephoned  a  skeleton  story  to  the  Standard  News 
Association,  which  was  a  branch  of  the  Associated 
Press.  Sunday  morning  all  the  newspapers  car 
ried  the  story  with  "scare"  heads,  and  Monday 
morning  a  dozen  reporters  and  special  writers 
arrived  in  Oyster  Bay. 

Colonel  Roosevelt's  mail  was  actually  pouring  in 
by  the  bushel  from  all  sections  of  the  country.  He 
secured  additional  help  from  the  village,  and  final 
ly  I  went  down  to  Sagamore  Hill  and  took  a  hand 
at  helping  with  the  mail ;  but  the  Colonel  was  so 
insistent  upon  showing  me  the  contents  of  his  gun 
cabinet  and  his  numerous  trophies,  that  his 
secretary  declared  we  were  both  more  of  a  hin 
drance  than  a  help. 

One  day  the  Colonel  stood  near  an  open  window 
affectionately  patting  a  Winchester  rifle  slung 
across  his  arm,  when  the  window  suddenly  went 
down  with  a  terrific  crash.  I  jumped  to  one  side, 
but  the  Colonel  never  moved  a  muscle,  remarking 


SOLDIER  5 

coolly  that  he  had  received  worse  shocks  than  that 
while  going  up  San  Juan  Hill. 

From  this  time  on  I  was  afforded  innumerable 
opportunities  to  study  Theodore  Roosevelt  from 
many  different  angles,  and  I  always  found  myself 
coming  back  to  first  impressions,  namely:  that 
he  had  a  powerful  personality,  and  possessed  an  in 
definable  magnetism  that  drew  one  to  him,  but 
he  would  brook  no  undue  familiarity. 


VARIOUS  reasons  have  been  given  as  the 
secret  of  Mr.  Roosevelt's  remarkable  hold 
on  the  public.  Mr.  John  J.  Leary,  Jr.,  in  his 
interesting  "Conversations  with  Roosevelt,"  pub 
lished  in  McClure's,  says  that  Mr.  Roosevelt's  own 
explanation  of  his  ability  to  carry  a  crowd  with 
him  was  given  in  one  word :  "Sincerity."  An  ac 
quaintance  declared  it  was  because  "Roosevelt's 
words  carried  a  punch" ;  and  another,  because  "the 
Colonel  always  had  something  to  say." 

Col.  Roosevelt  was  once  asked  by  a  senator  why 
he  (Roosevelt)  was  so  popular  with  his  soldiers. 

"I  do  not  know,"  responded  the  Colonel,  "except 
that  I  always  slept  with  my  men  in  the  trenches." 

Venturing  an  opinion  from  the  viewpoint  of  a 
neighbor  who  studied  Mr.  Roosevelt  and  his  meth- 


6  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

ods  from  close  range,  I  believe  that  the  basic  rea 
son  for  his  wonderful  hold  upon  the  public  was  the 
fact  that  he  was  the  greatest  "mixer"  among  the 
people  that  this  country  has  ever  produced,  or 
probably  ever  will  produce.  He  always  did  the 
right  thing  at  the  right  time.  Another  strong 
point  is  the  fact  that  he  never  permitted  a  letter 
to  go  unanswered,  whether  it  came  from  the 
King  of  England  or  from  the  grocer  at  the  cross 
roads. 

He  delighted  in  keeping  in  constant  touch  with 
the  public  through  handclasp  and  correspondence, 
so  when  he  appeared  before  a  crowd  he  was  looked 
upon  as  a  personal  friend,  and  had  the  hearty  sym 
pathy  and  entire  confidence  of  his  hearers.  And 
when  receiving  visitors,  he  gave  the  same  hearty 
consideration  to  his  gardener  at  Sagamore  Hill 
as  he  would  accord  the  most  prominent  visitor  at 
the  White  House. 

Many  interesting  instances  may  be  cited  to  dem 
onstrate  Mr.  Roosevelt's  cordial  nature  and  his 
impulsive  manner. 

My  sister  is  the  widow  of  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War.  She  was  asked  if  she  would  like  to  meet 
a  real  live  President  of  the  United  States.  Her 
reply  was : 

"He's  only  a  man." 


SOLDIER  1 

Mr.  Roosevelt  was  asked,  over  the  'phone  at 
Sagamore  Hill  as  to  whether  he  would  receive  her. 
His  immediate  response  was : 

"Bring  the  lady  right  up." 

When  she  arrived,  President  Roosevelt  brushed 
aside  all  formality,  and  came  out  on  the  veranda 
to  personally  greet  her,  exclaiming: 

"Delighted  my  dear  lady!  I  am  proud  to  meet 
you,  for  you  are  the  widow  of  a  hero  of  a  great 
war,  while  I  only  figured  in  a  very  small  one." 

Of  course,  the  lady  left  Sagamore  Hill  filled  with 
praises  for  Mr.  Roosevelt,  and  she  remained  his 
ardent  and  life-long  friend.  Occurrences  like  these 
happened  daily.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  Theodore 
Roosevelt  had  a  strong  hold  upon  the  people  ? 

At  the  busiest  period  in  Mr.  Roosevelt's  career 
he  found  time  to  write  to  an  old  friend  and 
neighbor. 

The  following  letter,  received  by  the  author, 
affords  another  instance  not  only  of  his  big-heart- 
edness  and  fidelity,  but  further  explains  how  he 
gained  and  retained  his  hold  on  the  people : 

OYSTER  BAY,  LONG  ISLAND, 

FEBRUARY,  1906. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Cheney  :— 

Busy  though  I  am,  I  must  tell  you  how  I  appreciate  your 
letter.    Will  you  give  my  warmest  regards  to  your  daughter, 


8  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

and  tell  her  I  always  think  of  how  amused  she  was  over 
Archie,  when  Archie  was  a  little  fellow.     It  does  me  good 
to  hear  from  as  straight  an  American  as  you  are. 
Faithfully  yours, 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT. 


Referring  to  his  regiment  in  his  book  "The 
Rough  Riders,"  Colonel  Roosevelt  wrote : 

They  were  the  finest  fellows,  and  they  were  dead  game. 
It  was  the  privilege  of  a  lifetime  to  have  commanded  such 
a  regiment.  It  was  a  hard  campaign,  but  they  were 
beautiful  days — and  we  won. 

In  a  speech  made  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  April  9, 
1902,  President  Roosevelt  said  of  the  veterans  of 
the  Civil  War : 

All  of  us,  North  and  South,  can  glory  alike  in  the  valor 
of  the  men  who  wore  the  blue  and  of  the  men  who  wore 
the  gray.  Those  were  iron  times,  and  only  iron  men  could 
fight  to  its  terrible  finish  the  giant  struggle  between  the 
hosts  of  Grant  and  Lee,  the  struggle  that  came  to  an  end 
thirty-seven  years  ago  this  very  day.  To  us  of  the  present 
day,  and  to  our  children's  children,  the  valiant  deeds,  the 
high  endeavor,  and  abrogation  of  self  shown  in  that  struggle 
by  those  who  took  part  therein,  will  remain  for  evermore 
to  mark  the  level  to  which  we  in  our  turn  must  rise  when 
ever  the  hour  of  the  Nation's  need  may  come. 


SOLDIER  9 

The  following  vivid  description  of  the  battle  of 
San  Juan  Hill  is  taken  from  the  New  York  Sun : 

When  they  came  to  the  open,  smooth  hillside  there  was 
no  protection.  Bullets  were  raining  down  at  them,  and  shot 
and  shell  from  the  batteries  were  sweeping  everything.  There 
was  a  moment's  hesitation  and  then  came  the  order :  "For 
ward  !  Forward!"  Lieutenant-Colonel  Roosevelt  waving  his 
sword.  Out  into  the  open  the  men  went,  and  up  the  hill. 
Death  to  every  man  seemed  certain.  The  cracking  of  the 
Mauser  rifles  was  continuous.  Out  of  the  brush  came  the 
riders.  Up  they  went,  with  the  colored  troops  alongside  of 
them,  not  a  man  flinching,  and  forming  as  they  ran.  Roose 
velt  was  a  hundred  feet  in  the  lead.  Up,  up  they  went  in 
the  face  of  death,  men  dropping  from  the  ranks  at  every 
step.  The  Rough  Riders  acted  like  veterans.  It  was  an 

inspiring  sight  and  an  awful  one Men  dropped 

faster  and  faster  but  others  took  their  places.  Roosevelt 
sat  erect  on  his  horse  holding  his  sword  and  shouting  for 
his  men  to  follow  him.  Finally  his  horse  was  shot  from 
under  him,  but  he  landed  on  his  feet  and  continued  calling 
for  his  men  to  advance.  He  charged  up  the  hill  afoot.  .  . 
.  .  .  At  last  the  position  was  won  and  the  block-house 

captured In   the   rush   more   than   half   of   the 

Rough  Riders  were  wounded. 

In  disbanding  the  Rough  Riders  Colonel  Roose 
velt  said: 

I  know  what  you  were  in  the  field.  You  were  brave 
and  strong.  I  ask  now  of  you  that  every  man  shall  go  back 
and  serve  his  country  as  well  in  peace  as  he  did  in  war.  1 
can  trust  you  to  do  it. 


10  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

/COLONEL  ROOSEVELT  was  deeply  moved 
^>*  by  the  spontaneous  demonstrations  of  ap 
proval  accorded  him  by  his  neighbors  from  time 
to  time ;  and  in  later  years  frequently  referred  to 
the  occasions  as  being  the  pleasantest  moments  of 
his  life. 

After  his  arrival  from  San  Juan,  much  of  Mr. 
Roosevelt's  time  was  taken  up  with  the  affairs  of 
his  Rough  Rider  regiment,  and  important  political 
matters.  It  was  not  until  after  he  was  elected 
Governor  that  he  took  an  active  interest  in  local 
matters. 

When  his  name  was  prominently  mentioned  as 
the  probable  candidate  for  Governor  of  New  York 
State,  and  immediately  after  his  nomination  for 
that  office,  there  commenced  a  steady  inflow  of 
political  pilgrims  to  Sagamore  Hill,  through  the 
village  of  Oyster  Bay  and  by  water  craft.  Oyster 
Bay  was  then  considered  as  being  "on  the  map," 
and  experienced  an  ever-increasing  boom  up  to  the 
time  Mr.  Roosevelt  ended  his  career  in  the  White 
House. 


"I  put  myself  in  the  way  of  things  happening 
and  they  happened,"  is  the  way  Theodore  Roose 
velt  explained  his  good  luck. 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  11 

WHAT  ROOSEVELT  THOUGHT  ABOUT 

"IF  WE  SHOULD  GO  TO  WAR" 


WAR  WAS  DECLARED  against  Germany  by 
the  United  States  on  April  6,  1917,  and  hos 
tilities  ceased  at  Eleven  o'clock  a.  m.,  on  Novem 
ber  11,  1918, — the  eleventh  month  of  the  year  and 
the  eleventh  day  of  the  month.  A  pre-war  edito 
rial  published  in  a  local  paper  on  June  17,  1915, 
attracted  the  attention  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  and 
he  was  so  deeply  impressed  with  the  article  that 
he  addressed  the  following  strong  letter  to  the 
editor : 

Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.,  June  23rd,  1915 
To  The  Editor  of  the  Oyster  Bay  Pilot, 

Your  editorial  on  "If  We  Should  Go  to  War"  in  your  is 
sue  of  Friday,  June  17th,  is  so  good  that  I  cannot  resist 
writing  to  thank  you  for  it.  I  wish  to  Heaven  it  could  be 
kept  standing  on  the  editorial  page  of  not  a  few  of  the 
great  city  newspapers  of  this  country, 
Faithfully  yours, 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT. 

(Editorial    appearing    in    Oyster   Bay    Pilot,    June    17th,    1915) 
"IF   WE   SHOULD   GO   TO   WAR" 

"There  is  at  least  one  consolation.  If  we  should 
go  to  war  it  would  not  be  because  we  wanted  a 
place  in  the  sun ;  nor  to  rectify  our  frontiers ;  nor 
to  obtain  an  outlet  to  our  trade;  nor  because  we 
had  promised  to  fight  if  some  other  nation  did; 


12  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

nor  because  we  had  demanded  the  right  to  have 
our  officers  sit  on  the  military  tribunals  of  a 
smaller  nation  and  been  refused ;  nor  because  a; 
port  threatened  by  another  Power  was  a  pistol 
pointed  at  the  heart  of  America;  nor  because  it 
was  our  duty  to  resist  the  Slavic  peril ;  nor  to  re 
take  provinces  lost  decades  before;  nor  because 
we  had  a  thumping  big  army  which  had  grown 
tired  of  innocuous  desuetude ;  nor  because  the  Al 
mighty  had  appointed  us  the  guardians  of  culture 
and  civilization  to  the  lesser  breeds;  nor  because 
we  thought  it  a  favorable  time  to  thrash  the  ene 
my;  nor  simply  because  we  were  superior  to 
everybody  else  that  ever  had  been  or  would  be, 
and  ached  to  demonstrate  it. 

"If  we  go  to  war  it  will  be  because  it  is  a  step 
necessary  to  vindicate  rights  conceded  for  gene 
rations  to  the  citizens  of  nations  that  keep  out  of 
strife  and  attend  to  their  own  affairs.  We  shall 
be  fighting  for  the  freedom  and  security  of  the 
open  road  for  travelers  who  journey  on  errands 
of  peace,  and  scrupulously  respect  the  rules  of  the 
highway. 

"We  shall  not  be  fighting  for  ourselves  alone; 
we  shall  be  fighting  the  battle  of  the  little  Power, 
the  battle  of  the  weak  Powers,  the  battle  of  all 
the  states  of  the  world  who  have  no  protection 
but  character,  no  guarantee  of  continued  indepen 
dence  except  the  good  faith  of  the  nations,  as 
manifested  toward  the  small  nation  that  keeps 
faith  in  its  turn.  And,  ultimately,  we  shall  win 
— for  God  has  built  this  old  world  that  way." 


WHILE  GOVERNOR  OF  NEW  YORK  STATE 


OVERNOR  ROOSEVELT  quickly  recog 
nized  the  honors  bestowed  upon  him  by 
his  fellow  townsmen.  After  his  election 
as  Governor,  to  show  his  neighbors  that 
he  fully  appreciated  what  they  had  done 
for  him,  he  gave  a  reception  to  his  friends 
in  the  village  of  Oyster  Bay,  on  the  evening  of 
Monday,  November  26,  1898,  selecting  Sheriff  Je 
rome  B.  Johnson,  a  close  personal  friend,  to  take 
charge  of  the  affair. 

To  be  personally  entertained  by  the  Governor- 
elect  of  the  greatest  state  in  the  Union  was  con 
sidered  an  honor  seldom  vouchsafed  to  a  village 
the  size  of  Oyster  Bay,  and  his  fellow  citizens  held 
their  heads  a  little  higher  after  shaking  hands 
with  a  real  live  Governor. 

The  reception  was  held  in  the  lodge  rooms  of 
Arbutus  Council,  Royal  Arcanum.  When  the 
people  left  the  hall  they  passed  through  an  ante 
room  where  the  handsome  sword  presented  to 


14  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Colonel  Roosevelt  on  a  former  occasion,  was  on  ex 
hibition.  On  one  side  of  the  blade  was  etched  the 
following  inscription : 

Presented   to   Theodore   Roosevelt,   Colonel   of   the   First 

(United  States  Volunteer  Cavalry  (Rough  Riders)  by  the 
Citizens  of  Oyster  Bay,  Long  Island,  September  21,  1898,  in 
recognition  of  gall.mt  service  rendered  to  the  nation  in  the 
war  with  Spain. 

On  the  reverse  side,  also  in  etching,  were  em 
blems  indicative  of  the  triumph  of  civilization  over 
barbarism. 

Those  who  received  with  the  Governor  were  Mrs. 
Roosevelt;  Mrs.  Douglas  Robinson,  Col.  Roose 
velt's  sister,  and  Mr.  Douglas  Robinson;  the  Rev. 
Homer  H.  Washburn,  rector  of  the  church  at 
tended  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt;  Rev.  John  L. 
Belf ord,  pastor  of  St.  Dominic's  Church ;  the  Rev. 
Chas.  S.  Wightman,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church ; 
the  Rev.  Alexander  G.  Russell,  pastor  of  the  Pres 
byterian  Church;  the  Rev.  W.  P.  Estes,  pastor  of 
St.  Paul's  M.  E.  Church;  representatives  of  the 
local  churches. 

The  ushers  selected  were :  Messrs.  Thos.  Ellison, 
Maurice  E.  Townsend,  A.  Burnside  Cheshire,  Dan 
iel  W.  Barto,  Albert  M.  Bayles,  A.  J.  Hutchinson, 
F.  W.  Bonifer,  Wm.  S.  Moore,  George  B.  Stoddard, 
Frederick  Richardson,  and  A.  L.  Cheney. 


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Copyright,   1905,  by  From   the   Broadway   Magazine, 

Horace  McFarland  Co.  September,    1907. 

As  Col.  Roosevelt  appeared  in  action. 


GOVERNOR  15 

/COLONEL  ROOSEVELT'S  first  letter  to  me 
^>  was  sent  from  Montauk  Point,  where  he 
was  temporarily  stationed.  It  was  written  in  long 
hand  by  one  of  the  Rough  Riders  who  acted  as  his 
secretary.  I  had  mailed  Mr.  Roosevelt  several 
of  my  stories  taken  from  the  New  York  Herald  and 
the  New  York  Times.  He  acknowledged  their  re 
ceipt  promptly,  and  said  he  was  particularly 
pleased  with  the  article  paying  tribute  to  the 
colored  troops  for  their  bravery  at  San  Juan.  He 
believed  in  giving  every  man  a  square  deal. 


Colonel  Roosevelt  at  the  expiration  of  his  term 
as  Governor  presented  to  the  Oyster  Bay  library 
the  official  chair  used  by  him  in  the  Governor's 
room  at  Albany.  . 


HfHEODORE  ROOSEVELT  was  as  tenacious 
as  a  bull  dog  when  it  came  to  a  question  of 
right  or  wrong,  and  he  never  let  up  until  a  wrong 
was  righted.  I  recall  one  instance,  as  an  illustra 
tion:  Some  time  after  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  elected 
Governor  I  received  a  telephone  message  from  Col. 
Wm.  J.  Youngs,  his  private  secretary,  summoning 
me  to  meet  Governor  Roosevelt  immediately  at 
Col.  Young's  summer  home  in  Oyster  Bay. 


16  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Arriving  at  what  is  known  as  the  Cove,  I  found 
Governor  Roosevelt  in  Col.  Young's  study,  dressed 
in  riding  togs,  strenuously  pacing  back  and  forth, 
vigorously  tapping  his  boots  with  his  whip.  He 
explained  that  he  desired  me  to  act  as  a  special 
courier  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  an  important 
document  to  a  certain  alleged  recreant  official,  who, 
it  appeared,  was  trying  to  evade  (or  prolong 
until  after  a  specified  date)  service  of  the  paper. 
Another  courier  had  been  dispatched  to  Albany 
in  case  the  man  happened  to  be  at  the  Capitol. 

Turning  to  me  the  Governor  said : 

"You  thoroughly  understand  the  importance  of 
this  mission?" 

"Yes,  indeed,  Governor,"  I  replied. 

"And  you  are  quite  sure  you  can  immediately 
reach  the  man  if  he  is  in  the  city?" 

"You  can  always  depend  upon  a  newspaper  man 
to  make  good,"  I  answered. 

"By  George,  you're  right !  They  generally  man 
age  to  meet  me!"  he  shot  back,  with  a  squeaky 
emphasis  on  the  word  "me." 

The  document  was  successfully  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  party  to  be  reached,  but  I  made  haste 
to  leave  the  man's  presence  before  he  discovered 
that  he  had  been  trapped  by  the  Governor ! 


GOVERNOR  17 

MR.  ROOSEVELT  detested  sham  and  hated  a 
liar.  One  day  while  I  was  in  his  office  a 
very  prominent  politician  was  admitted  to  see  him 
in  behalf  of  a  man  seeking  an  important  office.  The 
visitor  started  in  to  expatiate  on  the  man's  splen 
did  character  and  ability,  when  Mr.  Roosevelt 
turned  to  him  and  snapped  out : 

"See  here,  Blank!  If  you  will  put  in  writing, 
over  your  own  signature,  what  you  are  telling  me, 
1  will  consider  the  appointment." 

The  man  would  not  consent  to  do  this,  and  the 
appointment  was  never  made.  The  man  espoused 
bore  a  shady  reputation,  and  Mr.  Roosevelt  knew 
it. 

Singularly  enough,  that  very  day  I  had  clipped 
from  the  Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle  the  following  polit 
ical  excerpt,  and  taking  it  from  my  pocket,  after 
the  man  departed,  handed  it  to  Mr.  Roosevelt 
without  comment : 

The  area  of  the  lie  in  politics  is  diminishing.  The  era 
of  the  lie  in  politics  is  coming  to  an  end.  The  omnipotence 
of  the  liar  in  politics  ceased  long  ago.  The  existence  of  the 
lie  in  politics  still  remains,  but  its  potency  is  decreasing,  and 
before  long,  under  the  keen  sunlight  of  publicity,  which 
means  reporters,  stenographers,  typewriters,  the  mouths  of 
delegates,  the  speech  of  men,  the  augmenting  morality  of 
law  and  the  growing  strength  of  public  opinion,  the  role  of 
the  liar  in  politics  will  become  so  contemptible  that  the  liar 


18  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

everywhere  else  will  be  careful  to  tell  the  truth  where  folk 
can  see  him  and  pass  on  him. 

Mr.  Roosevelt's  face  was  a  fine  study  in  expres 
sion  during  his  perusal  of  the  crisp  paragraph  con 
cerning  the  "short  and  ugly  word,"  for  of  all 
public  men  he  had  been  an  undeserving  victim 
of  the  political  lie. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  reading  Mr.  Roosevelt 
made  some  very  illuminating  comments.  I  shall 
not  attempt  to  quote  him  verbatim,  but  he  was  of 
the  opinion  that  the  political  lie  would  never  die, 
except  to  be  replaced  by  one  of  like  ilk  or  superior 
in  mischief  to  its  defunct  predecessor;  that  it  is 
always  alert  and  full  of  business,  while  the  truth 
goes  begging  for  customers. 

Woe  betide  the  man  who  crosses  the  path  of  the 
political  shyster.  More  reputations  have  been 
ruined  secretly  by  the  political  system  of  "queer 
ing"  than  by  any  other  method. 

It  is  an  accepted  fact  that  unscrupulous  politi 
cians  are  appointed  to  positions  of  high  trust, 
while  the  honest,  hardworking,  deserving,  sincere 
lover  of  good  government  is  relegated  to  the  rear 
by  circumstantial  lying.  The  lies  vary  in  kind  in 
accordance  with  the  characteristics  and  genius 
of  the  liar.  If  the  man  in  power  who  is  to  be 
approached  by  the  political  Ananias  is  clean,  in- 


GOVERNOR  19 

dependent  and  upright,  he  is  all  the  more  easily 
imposed  upon. 

When  the  political  trickster  is  elevated  over  the 
heads  of  deserving  men,  there  are  few,  if  any,  pro 
tests  against  the  appointment,  because  the  men 
directly  interested  realize  that  the  obnoxious  ap 
pointee  by  virtue  of  the  new  power  vested  in  him 
would  make  it  decidedly  unpleasant  for  them. 

In  his  writings  Mr.  Roosevelt  declared  that  "it 
has  been  well  said  that  the  most  uncomfortable 
truth  is  a  safer  companion  than  the  most  pleasant 
falsehood."  He  further  said: 

There  are  in  the  body  politic,  economic  and  social,  many 
and  grave  evils,  and  there  is  urgent  necessity  for  the 
sternest  war  upon  them.  There  should  be  relentless  exposure 
of  and  attack  upon  every  evil  man  whether  politician  or 
business  man,  every  evil  practice,  whether  in  politics,  in 
business,  or  in  social  life.  I  hail  as  a  benefactor  every 
writer  or  speaker,  every  man  who,  on  the  platform  or  in 
book,  magazine  or  newspaper,  with  merciless  severity  makes 
such  attack,  provided  always  that  he  in  his  turn  remembers 
that  the  attack  is  of  use  only  if  it  is  absolutely  true. 
The  liar  is  no  whit  better  than  the  thief,  and  if  his 
mendacity  takes  the  form  of  a  slander,  he  may  be  worse 
than  most  thieves. 

Mr.  Roosevelt  knew  every  trick  in  the  fascina 
ting  game  of  politics,  and  was  therefore  not  easily 
imposed  upon. 


20  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Here  is  an  instance  of  an  active  political  lie: 
Once  when  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  a  candidate  for 
President  of  the  United  States,  a  political  shyster 
employed  in  a  government  department,  visited 
Oyster  Bay,  and  also  the  personal  tax  department 
in  Washington,  D.  C.,  to  inspect  the  tax  records  for 
the  ostensible  purpose  of  reviving  the  old  charges 
made  against  Mr.  Roosevelt  as  a  tax-dodger,  which 
charges  had  been  proven  untrue. 

At  Washington,  when  he  entered  the  tax  office, 
this  political  Shylock,  bent  upon  getting  several 
pounds  of  Roosevelt  "flesh,"  opened  up  the  vials 
of  his  wrath  against  Mr.  Roosevelt  with  a  string 
of  the  vilest  kind  of  abuse.  I  was  then  acting- 
chief  clerk  of  the  personal  tax  division,  and  lis 
tened  to  the  man's  tirade  in  amazement,  but  ex 
tended  to  him  every  courtesy  of  the  office. 

Needless  to  say  he  discovered  nothing  to  in 
criminate  Mr.  Roosevelt.  He  claimed  that  he  had 
been  sent  by  the  Treasury  Department  to  investi 
gate,  which  was,  of  course,  a  very  rank  lie.  It 
was  simply  the  personal  grievance  of  a  disgruntled 
politician  against  Mr.  Roosevelt. 


Apropos  of  the  question  of  personal  tax  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  the  author  believes  he  will 
be  doing  the  public  a  good  service  by  devoting  a 


GOVERNOR  21 

few  pages  of  this  book  to  the  subject,  as  people 
the  country  over  are  affected  by  a  law  which  is 
none  too  popular. 

Being  Chief  Clerk  of  the  personal  tax  division 
at  the  present  writing,  and  having  been  connected 
with  the  department  for  the  past  eleven  years,  the 
writer  can  explain  its  workings  of  his  own  knowl 
edge. 

During  the  month  of  February  in  each  year  the 
Board  of  Personal  Tax  Appraisers,  together 
with  the  assistant  assessors  of  real  es 
tate,  with  the  assessor  as  chairman,  acting  as 
a  Board  of  Appeals,  sitting  from  the  first  Monday 
in  February  to  the  second  Monday  in  March,  starts 
in  to  "pepper"  the  taxpayers  with  assessment 
notices,  which  at  once  begin  to  smart  and  burn 
deep  into  the  aggrieved  mind  of  the  receiver,  who 
has  failed  to  comply  with  the  law.  Thousands  of 
these  trouble-breeding  notices  are  scattered  broad 
cast.  Soon  the  whole  District  of  Columbia  is 
in  an  uproar,  figuratively  speaking — a  howling, 
snarling,  protesting  populace,  and  the  ominous 
sounds  are  echoed  and  reechoed  by  mail  from  all 
the  prominent  cities  in  America,  as  well  as  from 
cross-roads ;  from  the  Philippines,  Cuba,  Honolulu, 
from  battleships  on  the  high  seas,  and  from  points 
in  far  away  Europe. 


22  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

The  "outraged"  local  contingent  go  trooping  in 
before  the  Board  of  Appeals  by  twos,  by  fours  and 
by  hundreds.  Senators,  representatives,  high  gov 
ernment  officials,  lawyers,  doctors,  merchants, 
tradesmen,  and  women  of  high  and  low  degree, 
brush  elbows,  swap  sympathy  and  argue  desper 
ately  in  one  common  cause. 

Much  spirit  was  added  to  the  proceedings  one 
day  when  "Uncle  Joe"  Cannon,  smarting  under  the 
imposition  of  an  automobile  tax,  strode  abruptly 
into  one  of  the  rooms  and  startled  the  clerks  by 
exclaiming  in  a  highly-keyed  voice : 

"Who  is  the  Czar  here?" 

After  learning  the  nature  of  his  errand,  one  of 
clerks  piloted  Mr.  Cannon  to  headquarters  where 
he  succeeded  in  convincing  "the  powers  that 
be"  that  the  automobile  in  question  was  not  his 
property,  but  was  owned  by  the  United  States 
Government.  As  the  former  "Czar"  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  made  his  exit,  he  remarked 
jokingly:  "That  is  the  automobile  that  Champ 
Clark  was  afraid  to  ride  in  because  he  thought  it 
would  lose  him  votes." 

The  section  of  the  law  most  generally 
misunderstood  is  the  one  relating  to  the 
penalty  of  twenty  per  cent,  imposed  by  act  of  Con 
gress  on  all  persons  owning  personal  property  in 


GOVERNOR  23 

the  District  of  Columbia,  who  fail  to  make  a  re 
turn  in  July  of  each  year,  the  fiscal  year  beginning 
July  1,  and  ending  June  30.  Members  of  the 
Cabinet,  senators,  congressmen,  Army  and  Navy 
officers,  prominent  newspapers  having  branch  of 
fices  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  non-residents 
the  country  over,  possessing  taxable  personal  prop 
erty  in  the  District  are  caught  in  the  meshes  of  this 
law,  incurring  extra  payment  on  their  tax,  the 
Board  of  Personal  Tax  Appraisers  having  no 
power  to  set  aside  or  cancel  the  penalty  so  imposed. 
A  special  act  of  Congress  is  required  to  remove  the 
penalty. 

Personal  notification  is  not  called  for  under 
the  law  as  to  making  returns ;  the  assessor  giving 
three  days'  notice  in  the  newspapers  to  the  effect 
that  the  blank  schedules  will  be  ready  for  distri 
bution  to  the  public  July  1. 

Failure  to  see  this  announcement,  and  the  fact 
that  an  exemption  of  $1,000  applies  where 
the  household  and  other  belongings  are  owned  by 
the  occupant  of  any  dwelling  house  or  other  place 
of  abode,  in  which  such  household  and  other  be 
longings  may  be  located,  are  the  little  "jokers" 
(for  which,  of  course,  the  District  is  not  responsi 
ble)  that  swell  the  treasury  every  year  with  thous- 


24  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

ands  of  dollars  representing  penalty  tax.  Furni 
ture  rented  out  or  placed  in  storage  is  not  exempt. 
Ignorance  of  the  law  is  no  excuse,  and  taxpayers 
must  pay  the  penalty  for  their  ignorance  or  negli 
gence.  Army  and  Navy  officers  labor  under  the 
mistaken  impression  that  they  are  not  subject  to 
taxation  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  Under  the 
laws  they  are  properly  assessable  the  same  as  other 
residents  if  their  personal  belongings  (tangible 
property)  are  in  the  District  of  Columbia  July  1, 
at  which  time  the  assessments  are  levied ;  provided 
that  such  belongings  are  not  taxed  in  another 
jurisdiction  for  the  current  fiscal  year. 

The  intangible  personal  property  tax  amend 
ment  provides  for  the  taxation  of  certain  intan 
gible  personal  property  of  any  person,  firm,  asso 
ciation,  or  corporation  resident  or  engaged  in 
business  within  the  District  of  Columbia.  It 
is  unlawful  for  any  person  to  enter  the  District 
of  Columbia  subsequent  to  June  thirtieth  of  each 
year  and  establish  a  place  of  business  for  the  sale 
of  goods  until  a  sworn  statement  of  the  value  of 
such  stock  has  been  filed  with  the  assessor ;  a  pro- 
rata  bill  being  immediately  rendered  and  collecta 
ble  in  three  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time  if  not 
paid,  the  owner  is  subject  to  distraint  by  the 
Collector  of  Taxes. 


GOVERNOR  25 

Assessments  of  intangible  personal  property  un 
der  the  Act  of  Congress  approved  March  3,  1917, 
as  an  amendment  to  the  original  Act  of  July  1, 
1902,  causes  additional  trouble  for  the  taxpayers, 
and  proves  to  be  exceedingly  unpopular.  It  in 
cludes  the  taxation  of  stocks,  bonds,  mortgages, 
notes,  monies,  etc. ;  and  the  total  intangible  assess 
ments  the  first  fiscal  year  amounted  to  nearly 
three  hundred  million  dollars,  the  tangible  assess 
ments  reaching  sixty  million  dollars  more;  the 
combined  tax  being  about  two  million  and  a  half 
dollars. 

These  assessments  are  handled  by  the  clerks 
nine  different  times  before  the  final  levy  is  made, 
and  must  be  reported  to  the  Treasury  Department 
without  the  deviation  of  one  cent. 

The  Commissioners  have  caused  to  be  printed  a 
pamphlet  containing  the  laws  relating  to  taxation 
of  personal  property  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
to  and  including  July  31, 1919. 

The  penalty  of  20  per  cent,  brings  forth  many 
odd  as  well  as  pitiful  appeals.  One  man  wrote : 

Dear  Mr  Assessor : 

I  ain  sorry  I  did  not  get  this  in  sooner.  But  try  arid 
be  merciful.  If  you  can't  be  merciful  be  as  merciful  as  you 
can. 

A  Red  Cross  woman  mailed  her  personal  tax 
return  from  Italy.  Accompanying  it  was  a  letter 


26  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

from  her  Washington  attorney  who  stated  that 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  woman  was 
ill  at  the  time,  she  had  travelled  a  distance  of 
seventy-five  miles  on  a  railroad  train,  at  a  cost 
of  $15.00,  in  order  to  make  oath  before  a  United 
States  Consul  that  she  might  save  the  penalty  of 
20  per  cent,  (the  penalty  period  expiring  a  few 
days  after  she  made  the  journey) .  The  woman 
declared  that  the  trip  had  been  "a  day  of  torture." 

As  the  penalty  is  imposed  by  Act  of  Congress, 
the  Commissioners  of  the  District  of  Columbia  are 
not  to  be  held  responsible  for  these  hardships. 

No  blame  attaches  to  Congress.  The  penalty 
is  necessary  in  order  to  make  people  comply  with 
the  law.  The  only  remedy  to  be  applied  is  a  good 
stiff  dose  of  the  medicine  prescribed  by  the  late 
Joseph  Pulitzer :  "Publicity."  Educate  the  people 
up  to  the  requirements  of  the  law.  Strive  in  every 
way  to  give  them  "a  square  deal." 

Some  years  ago,  Mr.  Wm.  P.  Richards,  Assessor 
of  the  District  of  Columbia,  was  of  the  opinion 
that  no  assessments  under  $1,000  should  be  ac 
cepted.  It  was  figured  out  that  the  District  would 
be  deprived  of  only  $50,000  out  of  a  tax  of  about 
a  million  and  a  quarter  if  the  law  was  so  amended. 

Such  a  course  would  certainly  wipe  out  a  lot 


GOVERNOR  27 

of  hardship  suffered  by  the  poorer  classes,  and  also 
do  away  with  the  annoyance  to  which  scores  of 
people  inside  and  outside  of  the  District  of  Colum 
bia  are  yearly  subjected.  It  would  also  enable  the 
assessors  and  the  clerks  to  expedite  the  work  on 
assessments  of  far  more  importance. 

Strange  to  say,  the  right  of  franchise  is  denied 
the  District  of  Columbia,  and  the  residents,  there 
fore,  have  no  representative  in  Congress.  The 
professional  men  and  merchants  of  the  District 
are  right  up-to-date  in  everything  they  undertake, 
and  rank  with  the  best  business  men  in  the  coun 
try.  Being  necessarily  called  upon  to  handle  big 
events  in  the  National  Capital,  the  duty  is  per 
formed  in  a  masterly  manner-  They  are  very 
heavy  taxpayers  both  on  real  and  personal  prop 
erty. 


"No  body  of  public  servants,  no  body  of  individ 
uals  associated  in  private  life,  are  better  worth 
the  admiration  and  respect  of  all  who  value  citi 
zenship  at  its  true  worth,  than  the  body  composed 
of  the  teachers  in  the  public  schools  throughout 
the  length  and  breadth  of  this  Union." — Theodore 
Roosevelt. 


28  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

THE  eyes  of  the  country  are  at  present  focused 
upon  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Jr..  who  is  follow 
ing  in  the  political  footsteps  of  his  father  and  any 
thing  concerning  his  youthful  days  will  be  of  in 
terest  now. 

At  Sagamore  Hill,  standing  under  the  head  of 
a  magnificent  stag,  beautifully  mounted,  in  the 
Governor's  library,  I  had  my  first  handshake  with 
Theodore  Roosevelt,  Jr. 

Simplicity  is  the  ruling  characteristic  in  the 
Roosevelt  household,  and  I  was  not  surprised  to  see 
the  Governor  ignore  ceremony  and  step  to  the 
front  of  a  stairway  and  cry,  "Ho,  Teddy!"  And 
down  the  wide  stairway  appeared  little  Teddy  with 
measured  tread  and  a  matured  swing  of  the  body. 
The  manly  little  fellow  grasped  my  hand  cordially, 
and  said  in  a  slow,  emphatic  tone : 

"I  am  very  glad  to  meet  you." 

As  a  boy  I  found  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Jr.,  a 
most  interesting  study.  He  was  the  exact  opposite 
of  the  average  youngster.  No  character  in  the 
juvenile  world  at  that  time  was  more  original  and 
striking  than  little  Teddy  Roosevelt.  His  manners 
did  not  court  familiarity,  but  were  rather  awe 
some.  His  tastes  were  mature,  and  he  was  de 
lighted  if  he  could  do  what  his  father  did,  of  whom 
he  was  an  ardent  admirer. 


GOVERNOR  29 

No  matter  what  the  sport  might  be,  he  was  al 
ways  ready  to  take  part  in  it,  heart  and  soul, — 
in  fact,  he  was  very  apt  to  go  beyond  his  strength. 
In  winter  he  slid  down  Sagamore  Hill  on  his  skis 
and  his  sled,  and  in  summer  fished,  bathed,  rode 
his  pet  pony  and  took  long  walks  in  the  woods 
through  mud  and  water,  and  sometimes  returned 
home  soaked  through  and  through.  And  in  all 
these  sports  his  father  took  part  when  he  possibly 
could. 

Teddy,  Jr.,  was  also  fond  of  gardening,  and 
frequently  donned  the  conventional  blue  overalls, 
helping  the  gardener  hoe,  and  riding  about  in  the 
farm  wagons. 

One  day,  while  the  governess  was  giving  young 
Teddy  a  lesson  on  the  piano,  he  stopped  in  the 
middle  of  an  exercise  and  rattled  off,  without  the 
slightest  hesitation : 

"Theodore  Roosevelt,  Police  Commissioner, 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Colonel  of  the 
Rough  Riders  and  Governor  of  New  York  State," 
much  to  the  amusement  of  his  teacher. 

Colonel  Roosevelt  has  been  pronounced  a  great 
naturalist,  having  acquired  his  knowledge  of  birds 
and  animals  in  early  boyhood,  and  is  known  to 
have  been  very  happy  in  association  with  natur 
alists. 


30  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Theodore  Roosevelt,  Jr.,  is  also  a  born  natur 
alist,  and  his  museum  was  one  to  be  proud  of, 
containing  a  very  large  number  of  choice  speci 
mens.  

A  STORY  was  told  in  Albany  to  the  effect  that 
**•  when  Mr.  Roosevelt's  eldest  son  came  home 
one  day  from  school  covered  with  mud,  face  and 
hands  scarred,  the  Governor  asked  concernedly : 

"What  is  the  matter?" 

"Well,"  replied  young  Teddy,  "a  boy  up  the 
street  made  a  face  at  me,  and  said,  'Your  father's 
a  faker.'  He  was  a  good  deal  bigger  than  I,  but  I 
wouldn't  stand  that,  you  know,  so  I  just  lit  into 
him,  and  I  had  a  pretty  hard  time.  But  I  licked 
him." 

"That's  right.  That's  right.  I'm  glad  you 
licked  him,"  were  the  parental  words  of  approval. 

It  is  also  said  that  two  boys  were  fighting  on 
their  way  home  from  school  in  Albany  one  after 
noon,  and  a  policeman  who  had  separated  them 
saw  Governor  Roosevelt  coming  and  thought  it  a 
fine  opportunity  to  impress  the  boys — and  the 
Governor.  Mr.  Roosevelt  listened,  then  asked  the 
boys  for  their  story.  Their  statements  seemed  to 
have  the  greater  weight,  for,  turning  to  the  police 
man,  he  said  emphatically : 

"Let  'em  fight  it  out.    It's  good  for  them." 


Photo 


Gildersleeve. 


JAMES  DUTHIE 

Past  Master  of  Matiuecock  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Oyster  Bay 
Once  acknowledged  as  President  Roosevelt's  "Boss." 

See   Page  38 


,.«a«P*"Z 


,.f. 


A  Distinguished  Notification  Committee  at  Sagamore  Hill.  Include 


Copyright  1904  by  Underwood  &  Underwood 

iii  the  group  are  some  of  President  Roosevelt's  near  neighbors. 


GOVERNOR  31 

MR.  ROOSEVELT'S  neighbors  are  fond  of 
telling  a  story  which  they  attribute  to 
Kermit,  who,  when  he  was  a  little  fellow,  as  the 
story  goes,  rushed  into  the  house  one  day  and 
exclaimed  : 

"Father,  come  on  out  in  the  yard  and  see  some 
thing  awfully  funny." 

"I  am  busy ;  what  is  it  son  ?"  inquired  Mr.  Roose 
velt. 

Kermit  was  insistent  about  the  curious  thing 
until  finally  his  father  said : 

"Well,  has  it  got  a  tail?" 

"Why,"  replied  the  boy,  "the  darn  thing  is  all 
tail!" 

Kermit  had  seen  a  snake,  for  the  first  time. 


Mr.  Roosevelt  was  very  much  interested  in 
local  educational  matters.  I  was  at  one  time  presi 
dent  of  the  Oyster  Bay  Board  of  Education,  and 
earlier  a  trustee,  when  the  new  High  School  build 
ing  was  erected. 

One  day  Mr.  Roosevelt  sent  for  me  and  asked  if 
there  was  anything  he  could  do  to  advance  the  in 
terests  of  the  Oyster  Bay  School.  He  was  told  that 
he  was  expected  to  lay  the  corner  stone  of  the  new 
school  building  and  deliver  an  address.  He  seemed 


32  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

immensely  pleased,  and  entered  heartily  into  the 
exercises  at  the  appointed  time. 

Mr.  Roosevelt  evinced  similar  interest  in  the 
Oyster  Bay  Library  and,  in  fact,  in  all  the  local 
institutions,  contributing  money,  books,  etc. 

He  gave,  through  the  Pilot,  a  sufficient  number 
of  books  to  establish  a  library  in  the  A.  M.  E. 
Zion  Church. 

The  capacity  of  the  High  School  Building  has 
been  greatly  increased,  and  the  facilities  improved, 
largely  through  the  energetic  efforts  of  Mr.  John 
F.  Bermingham,  President  of  the  Board  of  Educa 
tion,  and  Principal  Whitaker. 


DURING  his  term  as  Governor,  Mr.  Roosevelt, 
when  at  Sagamore  Hill,  employed  a  secre 
tary  at  his  own  expense,  instead  of  requisitioning 
a  stenographer  from  the  department  at  Albany,  as 
the  following  letter  will  show : 

STATE  OF  NEW  YOKK,  EXECUTIVE  CHAMBER, 

ALBANY,  DEC.  20,  1900. 
My  dear  Miss  Cheney : 

Can  you  act  as   my   stenographer  in   January?   If   so, 
will  you  come  up  to  Sagamore  Hill  on  the  morning  of  the 

Sincerely  yours, 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT. 

He  pursued  the  same  course  when  he  was  vice- 
president. 


WHEN  VICE-PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNITED 
STATES 


Tj  CHAPTER  III.  [T 


URING  his  term  as  Vice-President,  Mr. 
Roosevelt  was  frequently  absent  from 
Oyster  Bay  for  long  periods,  but  always 
responded  to  the  call  of  his  neighbors 
when  he  was  needed  upon  public  occa 
sions.    He  was  requested  to  present  the 
diplomas  to  the  graduating  class  in  the  Oyster  Bay 
High  School,  and  responded  promptly. 

A  souvenir  bouquet  made  of  flowers  from  the 
White  House  conservatory  was  presented  to  each 
member  of  the  class,  and  it  made  the  graduates 
and  their  parents  very  proud  and  happy. 

Mr.  Roosevelt  took  the  keenest  delight  in  acting 
as  Kris  Kringle  each  Christmas  time  at  the  Cove 
School.  All  through  public  life,  Theodore  Roose 
velt  never  lost  sight  of  School  No.  10  at  Oyster  Bay 
where  his  two  sons,  Archibald  Bulloch  Roosevelt 
and  Kermit  Carow  Roosevelt  took  the  elementary 


36  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

steps  of  their  education.  Theodore,  Jr.,  also 
learned  his  A  B  C's  at  Cove  School,  under  the 
tutelage  of  Miss  Sarah  Provost,  for  whom  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Roosevelt  entertained  the  highest  regard. 


MR-  ROOSEVELT  was  deeply  impressed  when 
informed  how  the  news  of  the  attempted 
assassination  of  President  McKinley  first  reached 
Oyster  Bay. 

The  New  York  World  had  a  direct  wire  to 
Buffalo,  and  received  the  news  almost  immediately 
after  Mr.  McKinley  was  shot.  The  World  editor's 
first  thought  was : 

"Where's  Roosevelt?" 

Then :  "Get  Cheney  at  Oyster  Bay." 

The  connection  was  made  immediately,  and  the 
editor's  announcement  was,  of  course  a  shock  to 
me.  Dropping  the  telephone  receiver,  I  hastened 
to  dispatch  a  message  for  Pickney,  the  White 
House  steward,  and  another  to  Secretary  Loeb. 

It  was  found  that  everybody  connected  with 
Sagamore  Hill  had  left  Oyster  Bay  that  very  after 
noon,  and  no  information  could  be  obtained  as  to 
the  whereabouts  of  Vice-President  Roosevelt,  who 
was  absent  on  a  hunting  trip  at  the  time.  A  bulletin 
of  the  tragedy  was  posted  in  front  of  the  Pilot 
office  in  Oyster  Bay  before  bulletins  or  extra  pa- 


VICE    PRESIDENT  37 

pers  were  issued  in  New  York  City.  This  fact 
was  the  subject  of  an  article  printed  later  by  the 
Associated  Press. 

How  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  reached,  and  his  famous 
ride,  are  facts  for  the  historian  to  record. 

Mr.  Roosevelt  had  left  no  definite  information 
with  my  daughter,  who  was  acting  as  his  secre 
tary  at  the  time,  as  to  where  he  could  be  reached. 
He  gave  instruction  to  reply  to  every  communica 
tion  received,  using  a  form  letter.  This  is  another 
evidence  of  Mr.  Roosevelt's  pronounced  habit  of 
answering  all  letters  sent  to  him. 

Following  is  a  copy  of  a  form  letter  used  when 
Mr.  Roosevelt  was  absent : 

Colonel  Roosevelt  is  away  in  the  Southwest  and  will 
not  return  until  Inauguration  Day,  the  4th  of  March.  Your 
letter  will  then  be  laid  before  him;  but  as  his  mail  is  so 
very  large,  you  had  better  write  him  again  at  that  time  in 
order  to  ensure  the  matter  being  brought  to  his  attention. 
Respectfully, 

A.  B.  CHENEY,  Secretary. 

An  amusing  feature  of  the  form  letter  was  the 
fact  that  many  writers  mistook  the  secretary  for 
a  man.  One  party  wrote : 

You  have  the  reputation  of  being  a  kindhearted  young 
man,  and  I  know  you  will  use  your  influence  with  the  Vice- 
President  in  my  behalf. 


38  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

WHEN  orator  of  Arbutus  Council,  Royal  Arca 
num,  I  was  selected  to  wait  upon  Mr. 
Roosevelt  and  endeavor  to  secure  his  application 
for  membership  in  Arbutus  Council.  At  the  time 
DeWitt  Clinton  Council,  of  Brooklyn,  was  forming 
a  class  of  one  thousand  in  a  rival  contest,  and  the 
newspapers  prematurely  announced  that  Mr. 
Roosevelt's  application  had  been  obtained,  adding 
that  he  would  probably  be  initiated  with  the  class 
of  one  thousand  candidates.  There  was  a  rush  for 
application  blanks,  and  the  class  filled  rapidly  be 
fore  the  report  could  be  denied. 

In  the  meantime  it  was  ascertained  that  Gov 
ernor  Roosevelt  had  made  application  to  join  Ma- 
tinecock  Lodge  No.  806,  F.  and  A.  M.,  at  Oyster 
Bay.  Realizing  that  one  "goat"  at  a  time  was 
about  all  he  could  possibly  ride,  even  with  his 
acknowledged  strenuosity,  further  efforts  on  be 
half  of  Arbutus  Council  ceased. 


Being  a  member  of  Babylon  Lodge,  No.  793,  F. 
and  A.  M.,  I  was  present  at  the  raising  of  Theodore 
Roosevelt.  He  was  initiated  into  Matinecock 
Lodge,  January  2,  1901,  and  was  Vice  President 
elect  of  the  United  States  at  the  time,  having  left 
the  office  of  Governor  of  New  York  State  at  the 
end  of  the  year  of  1900. 


VICE    PRESIDENT  39 

He  was  passed  March  27,  and  raised  April  24, 
1901. 

W.  Brother  Theodore  A.  Swan,  a  member  of  the 
summer  colony,  and  one  of  Mr.  Roosevelt's  imme 
diate  neighbors,  was  Master  of  Matinecock  Lodge 
when  Brother  Roosevelt  was  initiated,  passed  and 
raised.  Brother  Loeb,  who  was  private  secretary 
to  Bro.  Roosevelt,  was  his  instructor.  The  officers 
of  Matinecock  conferred  the  first  and  second  de 
grees,  except  that  R.  W.  Brother  Joseph  Cummings 
of  Altair  Lodge,  gave  the  Middle  Chamber  lecture. 
The  first  section  of  the  third  degree  was  conferred 
by  Matinecock's  own  officers;  the  lodge  used  its 
own  officers  in  the  subordinate  positions  in  the 
second  section,  with  Most  Worshipful  E.  M.  L. 
Ehlers,  Grand  Secretary,  as  Master ;  the  hard  work 
being  accomplished  in  the  South  by  M.  W.  John 
Stewart;  in  the  West  by  M.  W.  William  Brodie; 
and  in  the  East  by  M.  W.  John  W.  Vrooman,  Past 
Grand  Master.  Brother  Roosevelt  was  raised 
by  M.  W.  Charles  W.  Meade,  the  then  Grand  Mas 
ter,  who  was  present  with  all  his  staff,  who  were 
received  by  R.  W.  William  L.  Swan.  Matine 
cock  Lodge  was  mighty  proud  of  the  occasion. 

Admittance  to  the  lodge  room  was  by  invitation 
only  on  the  night  Brother  Roosevelt  was  raised, 
but  the  newspapers  announced  the  great  event, 


40  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

and  hundreds  of  Masonic  brethren  went  to  Oyster 
Bay  and  were  turned  away.  The  usually  quiet 
village  streets  had  the  appearance  of  a  gala  night. 

From  the  front  steps  of  the  building  somebody 
shouted : 

"Make  way  for  the  treasurer !"  and  Capt.  Alfred 
Ludlam,  treasurer  of  Matinecock  Lodge,  pushed 
his  way  through  the  crowd.  When  he  reached 
his  desk  he  found  that  a  pickpocket  had  "made 
way"  with  his  purse  containing  a  goodly  sum  of 
money.  Several  visiting  detectives,  members  of 
the  Masonic  order,  were  also  relieved  of  their  valu 
ables,  but  were  too  ashamed  to  "acknowledge  the 
corn."  New  York  crooks  had  read  the  newspapers 
and  took  advantage  of  a  crowd  in  which  they  were 
least  expected. 


AN  INCIDENT    connected  with  his  member 
ship  in  Matinecock  Lodge  furnished  anoth 
er  demonstration  of  Mr.  Roosevelt's  democratic 
nature  and  his  love  of  mixing  with  the  plain 
people. 

One  of  the  chaplains  of  the  lodge,  the  late  Rev. 
Alexander  G.  Russell,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Oyster  Bay,  was  an  invited  guest  at  a 
White  House  luncheon,  when  the  question  of 
Masonry  happened  to  be  brought  into  the  general 


VICE    PRESIDENT  41 

conversation,  and  it  was  found  that  every  man 
present  was  a  Mason.  President  Roosevelt  de 
clared  he  liked  the  idea  of  Masonry  in  that  it 
brought  all  men  to  a  common  level,  and  made 
them  feel  the  equal  of  everyone. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  the  President,  "that  the 
Master  of  my  lodge  is  just  a  working  man, — a 
gardener  for  one  of  my  neighbors  in  Oyster  Bay ; 
but  when  I  visit  Matinecock  Lodge  he  is  my  boss, 
and  I  must  stand  up  when  he  orders  me,  and  sit 
down  when  he  tells  me,  and  not  speak  unless  he 
allows  me." 

W.  M.  James  Duthie,  is  the  gardener  referred 
to  by  the  President.  He  was  Senior  Warden  when 
Bro.  Roosevelt  was  raised.  He  is  a  Scotchman  of 
exceptionally  good  appearance,  very  gentlemanly, 
and  exceedingly  well  read.  He  was  Master  of 
Matinecock  Lodge  three  years  during  President 
Roosevelt's  first  administration — 1902,  1903  and 
1904.  He  was  succeeded  one  year  by  W.  Edward 
P.  Waldron,  and  four  years  by  W.  George  W. 
Downing. 

For  the  last  four  years  Past  Master  Duthie 
has  been  Assistant  Grand  Lecturer.  He  never 
missed  a  meeting  of  his  lodge  during  a  continuous 
period  of  fifteen  years. 


42  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

For  ten  years,  Mr.  Duthie  was  Chief  Usher  at 
Christ  Episcopal  Church,  where  Mr.  Roosevelt 
worshipped.  He  had  a  most  strenuous  time  seat 
ing  the  people  near  the  President's  pew,  and  one 
Sunday  a  woman  "crank"  tried  to  have  him  ar 
rested  for  preventing  her  from  getting  too  near 
the  President. 


President  Roosevelt  made  frequent  visits  to  the 
lodge,  and  was  always  eager  to  go.  One  night  he 
entered  the  lodge  room  in  the  manner  common  to 
all  Masons,  and  cast  his  eyes  around  for  a  seat, 
when  the  Worshipful  Master  said : 

"Brother  Roosevelt,  you  will  find  a  seat  on  the 
left." 

It  so  happened  that  the  vacant  seat  was  next 
to  the  one  occupied  by  the  writer.  Brother  Roose 
velt's  face  was  all  aglow  with  happiness  when  he 
took  his  seat,  and  he  turned  and  talked  to  his  im 
mediate  brethren  in  the  most  informal  manner. 

When  the  lodge  went  to  refreshment,  President 
Roosevelt  mingled  with  the  brethren,  exclaiming : 

"By  Jove!  This  is  great!  Great!" 

It  seemed  as  though  the  social  and  political  fet 
ters  had  fallen  from  his  shoulders,  and  he  was 
free  to  talk  and  act  to  suit  his  own  sweet  will. 

On    the    night    that    Brother    Roosevelt    was 


VICE    PRESIDENT  43 

raised,  Brother  Wm.  Loeb,  Jr.,  acted  as  his  spon 
sor.  Strange  to  relate,  Brother  Loeb  experienced 
a  lapse  of  memory  for  an  instant.  Quick  as  a  flash 
Candidate  Roosevelt  took  up  the  broken  thread, 
and  the  brethren  showed  their  admiration  and  ap 
preciation  of  the  unusual  incident  by  an  out-burst 
of  applause. 

IT  IS  interesting  to  note  in  this  connection,  that 
George  Washington,  the  first  President  of  the 
United  States,  was  raised  August  4,  1753,  in  Fred- 
ericksburg  Lodge  No.  4,  of  Virginia,  dating  back 
one  hundred  and  forty-eight  years  previous  to  the 
raising  in  Masonry  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  who 
was  the  twenty-sixth  President  of  the  United 
States. 

Mr.  Washington  was  a  charter  member  of 
Alexandria  Lodge  No.  22,  Alexandria,  Va.,  when 
said  lodge  was  instituted,  April  28,  1788.  In 
1804,  after  his  death,  the  name  of  this  lodge  was 
changed  to  the  Alexandria-Washington  Lodge. 
Washington  was  President  of  the  United  States 
from  April  30,  1789  to  March  4,  1797.  At  the 
time  of  Mr.  Washington's  death  there  were  three 
doctors  present,  all  of  whom  were  Master  Masons. 
Two  of  these,  Drs.  Dick  and  Craik,  were  members 
of  his  lodge;  and  the  third,  Dr.  Brown,  was  the 


44  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Grand  Master  of  Masons  of  the  State  of  Maryland, 
being  the  fifth  Grand  Master.  Worshipful  Bro. 
Geo.  W.  Faller,  past  master  of  Matinecock  Lodge, 
was  the  physician  who  attended  Bro.  Roosevelt  in 
his  last  illness. 


T)EFORE  he  became  President  of  the  United 
*-*  States,  it  had  been  the  custom  of  Mr.  Roose 
velt,  once  a  year,  to  hold  a  private  reception  for 
the  reporters  at  Sagamore  Hill,  at  which  time 
the  newspaper  men  would  appear  in  evening  dress 
and  be  highly  entertained  in  the  study  for  an  hour 
or  more  listening  to  spirited  stories,  related  in  con 
fidence,  that  would  look  mighty  good  in  print,  and 
would  also  bring  a  princely  price. 

In  writing  the  conventional  biographies  of 
great  personages,  little  or  no  account  is  taken  of 
the  men  who  necessarily  figure  along  the  "firing 
line"  or  in  the  "trenches"  of  journalism.  Hence 
"there's  a  reason"  why  a  few  pages  of  this  book 
should  be  devoted  to  the  splendid  work  accom 
plished  by  the  reporters  stationed  at  Oyster  Bay, 
and  who  entered  into  and  constituted  a  large  part 
of  the  affairs  relating  to  the  home-life  of  Theodore 
Roosevelt.  He  admired  their  pluck  and  gave  them 


VICE    PRESIDENT  45 

every  encouragement,  if  deserving — in  fact,  he 
was  their  "meal  ticket." 


Q  PEAKING  from  long  experience  as  owner, 
^  editor  and  publisher  of  several  newspapers, 
I  have  found  that  the  qualifications  necessary  for  a 
successful  reporter  are  varied  and  exacting.  First 
of  all  he  must  have  natural  ability ;  then  the  apti 
tude  for  getting  at  the  truth;  the  power  to  read 
human  nature  aright;  the  industry  for  research; 
the  gift  to  assemble  the  facts  and  incidents  so  as 
to  capture  and  hold  the  attention  of  the  reader  and 
please  the  sense  of  truth,  pathos  and  humor. 

No  matter  how  barren  the  facts  or  how 
meagre  the  information,  when  a  reporter  gets 
an  assignment  to  cover  a  story,  whether  it  be 
five  hundred  or  five  thousand  words,  he  must  be 
equal  to  the  emergency,  and  the  man  who  makes 
the  best  showing  of  his  talents  naturally  goes  to 
the  top.  But  it  is  done  at  the  sacrifice  of  all 
pleasure  and  personal  comfort.  The  reporter's 
first  duty  is  to  his  paper  at  any  and  all  times. 
When  properly  trained  and  thoroughly  imbued 
with  a  sense  of  his  duty,  the  reporter  will  brave  all 
dangers  and  deny  himself  every  luxury  to  subserve 
the  best  interests  of  his  newspaper  and  to  make 
a  record  for  himself. 


46  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

The  reportorial  road  to  fame  is  a  broad  and  an 
open  one,  full  of  great  and  brilliant  possibilities  for 
aspiring  young  men  of  talent,  but  it  is  not  an  easy 
thoroughfare  to  travel.  It  is  paved  with  hard 
ships  and  discouragements.  The  battle  must  be 
hard  fought  and  unceasing.  It  is  not  an  easy  or 
a  short  step  from  the  ranks  of  the  private  to  the 
position  of  a  general  in  command. 

Of  all  the  professions  in  the  world,  that  of  the 
newspaper  plodder,  be  he  editor,  correspondent, 
special  writer  or  reporter,  is  the  most  exacting  in 
its  demands  upon  the  brain  and  mind.  Success  is 
attained  only  through  careful  and  indefatigable 
labor;  but  the  reward  is  worth  the  effort. 

There  are  no  prospects  and  no  room  at  the  top, 
in  the  field  of  journalism,  for  lazy  men.  It  is  one 
continuous  grind,  and  the  men  or  women  who 
cannot  withstand  its  exactions  must  eventually  fall 
by  the  wayside. 

Arthur  Brisbane  "said  it  all"  when  he  remarked 
to  the  writer  one  day:  "Newspaper  work  is  an 
awful  drag."  Mr.  Brisbane  has  been  largely  com 
pensated  for  his  hard  work  through  the  inspira 
tions  people  have  received  from  reading  his 
brilliant  editorials. 

Reporters  unquestionably  formulate  and  sway 
public  opinion.  The  editorial  writer  in  order  to 


Hon.   BYRON  R.   NEWTON 

Formerly   First  Assistant   Secretary   of   the  United    States 

Treasury,  now  Collector  of  the  Port  of  New  York, 

who  arose  from  the  newspaper  ranks. 


JOHN  C.  KENNAHAN 

Formerly  owner  of  the  Oyster  Bay  Pilot  and  for  twenty-two 
years  a  reporter  on  the  Brooklyn  Eagle.  He  hired  a  special  locomo 
tive  on  the  Long  Island  Railroad  to  get  a  confession  from  Rugg,  the 
murderer.  He  started  life  as  a  newsboy. 


Oyster  Bay  Pilot  Newspaper  Office 
where  Mr.  Roosevelt's  letters  of 
acceptance  were  ordered  printed. 


VICE    PRESIDENT  47 

keep  in  touch  with  public  sentiment,  must  necess 
arily  build  his  ideas  on  the  reporter's  presentation 
of  news  facts,  and  the  latter  thus  moulds,  fash 
ions  and  controls  public  prejudice,  be  it  for  good  or 
for  evil. 

No  class  of  men  in  the  world  bring  to  their  pro 
fession  so  much  loyalty,  shrewdness,  energy  and 
capability  as  reporters.  They  must  be  omniscient 
and  omnipresent.  Their  loyalty  cannot  be  ques 
tioned.  They  will  sacrifice  all  personal  comfort 
and  pleasure  rather  than  be  beaten  or  miss  a 
"scoop." 

The  trained  reporter  has  little  time  to  think 
or  study.  He  must  generally  act  on  the  spur  of 
the  moment,  and  with  rare  good  judgment  and 
tact.  If  he  makes  a  slip  or  misses  an  opportunity 
which  proves  of  advantage  to  his  competitor,  he  is 
at  once  in  bad  odor  at  the  office,  and  is  called 
down — a  punishment  every  conscientious  reporter 
dreads.  His  aim  is  to  excel  in  his  profession  and 
to  surpass  his  associates. 

Natural  ability,  training  and  experience  make 
the  successful  special  correspondent  and  reporter. 
A  collegiate  course  does  not  fill  the  bill  instanta 
neously.  A  graduate  fresh  from  college  has  yet  to 
graduate  from  the  reportorial  school.  There  is  a 
certain  "twist"  to  be  acquired,  gained  by  the  sue- 


48  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

cessf  ul  reporter  only  through  practical  experience. 
Your  green  college  graduate,  if  sent  on  an  assign 
ment  will  give  you  an  essay  which  will  pass  unread, 
while  the  trained  reporter  will  dish  up  a  brilliant, 
spicy  story  pleasing  to  both  the  eye  and  the  senses, 
and  one  that  will  be  devoured  with  avidity. 


AMONG  the  New  York  city  pioneer  reporters 
covering  Oyster  Bay,  can  be  recalled  Mr. 
Elmer  E.  Paine  of  the  Associated  Press,  who  was 
considered  the  dean  of  the  group ;  Messrs.  Grahame 
of  the  Commercial  Advertiser,  Livingstone  of  the 
Herald,  Slaight  of  the  World,  Dennison  of  the  Sun, 
Hazard  of  the  Tribune,  and  Halstead  (son  of 
Murat  Halstead)  of  the  Times. 

Mr.  John  O'Brien,  another  reporter  for  the  New 
York  Sun  at  Oyster  Bay,  was  appointed  Dock 
Commissioner  in  New  York.  Mr.  Harry  Brown, 
at  one  time  a  well-known  political  writer  for  the 
New  York  Herald,  was  a  frequent  visitor  to  Sag 
amore  Hill,  and  always  had  ready  access  to  Pres 
ident  Roosevelt. 

Edward  Marshall,  the  famous  war  correspond 
ent,  who  was  shot  at  the  battle  of  Las  Guasimas, 
and  lost  a  leg,  was  an  active  participant  in  one  of 
the  Roosevelt  receptions.  He  became  so  enthu 
siastic  in  the  work  that  he  caused  handbills  to  be 


VICE    PRESIDENT  49 

printed  at  his  own  expense,  and  hustled  around 
on  crutches  to  aid  the  reception  committee. 

Changes  were  frequently  made  in  the  reportori- 
al  personnel,  the  later  list  including  Messrs.  Byron 
R.  Newton,  Herald;  Robert  Bailey,  Associated 
Press;  Loren  Palmer,  Sun;  Charles  Hambidge, 
Times;  William  Hoster,  American;  and  Vincent 
Cook,  World.  Mr.  Elting  Fowler,  now  dead,  was  a 
late  comer  for  the  Sun :  also  Mr.  Hamilton  of  the 
Evening  Sun;  Mr.  Pollock  and  Mr.  Charles  E. 
Shepherd  of  the  Brooklyn  Eagle;  Mr.  Warn  of  the 
New  York  Times,  Mr.  Harry  Coleman  of  the  Asso 
ciated  Press,  Mr.  Walter  Funnell  of  the  Brooklyn 
Times,  and  Mr.  Thomas  Kelly,  Standard  News 
Association. 

Fowler  made  a  hit  by  writing  up  John  Frank 
lin's  trout  pond,  or  tank,  which  was  located  direct 
ly  under  the  bar  at  the  Franklin  Hotel  near  the 
shore.  The  tank  contained  many  fine  specimens 
of  the  trout  tribe,  and  also  kegs  of  beer  for  cooling. 
The  place  had  been  made  famous  by  the  metro 
politan  newspapers.  One  day  a  beer  keg  collapsed, 
and  Fowler's  description  of  the  "drunken  trout" 
was  very  funny  and  was  widely  copied. 

Fowler  was  highly  elated  when  Mr.  Roosevelt 
referred  to  the  trout  story  and  told  him  how 
thoroughly  he  enjoyed  it. 


50  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

'Several  of  the  newspaper  men  stationed  at 
Oyster  Bay  became  very  prominent  in  public  life, 
notably  Mr.  Byron  R.  Newton,  who  was  appointed 
First  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under 
William  McAdoo.  He  often,  and  very  ably,  filled 
the  responsible  position  of  Acting  Secretary  dur 
ing  the  absence  of  Mr.  McAdoo.  Mr.  Newton  is 
now  making  good  as  Collector  of  the  Port  of  New 
York.  It  is  said  that  Roosevelt  was  once 
responsible  for  Mr.  Newton's  desertion  from  the 
newspaper  ranks  to  enter  public  life.  Mr.  Robert 
Bailey  was  also  appointed  an  Assistant  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury ;  but  later  retired  to  private  life. 

MR.  ROOSEVELT  loved  a  good  story  and  was 
very  fond  of  almost  any  "catchy"  song. 
Mr.  Alfred  J.  Stofer,  familiarly  known  as  "Major" 
Stofer,  one  of  Washington's  pioneer  newspaper 
correspondents,  with  a  record  of  thirty  years  at 
the  Capital,  had  two  songs  in  his  repertoire  which 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  singing  at  the  famous 
Gridiron  Club's  dinners  that  seemed  especially  to 
appeal  to  Colonel  Roosevelt. 

There  were  a  few  songs  Mr.  Roosevelt  became  so 
familiar  with  that  he  invariably  joined  lustily  in 
the  choruses,  when  they  were  sung  at  the  dinners 
which  he  attended  in  Washington,  before  and  after 
becoming  President. 


VICE    PRESIDENT  51 

Mr.  Roosevelt  was  not  especially  quick  at  learn 
ing  a  musical  air,  but  one  of  these  songs,  "De 
Watermilion  Hangin'  on  De  Vine,"  was  rendered 
so  frequently  at  Gridiron  Club  dinners,  that  Col. 
Roosevelt  had  no  difficulty  in  joining  in  the  ring 
ing  chorus  which  was  swelled  by  members  and 
guests  in  all  portions  of  the  spacious  room  in 
which  the  dinners  were  given. 

If  he  did  not  sing  in  loud  voice  while  the 
first  verse  of  that  song  was  going  he  showed  his 
keen  interest  while  the  words  were  being  reeled 
off  as  follows : 

Oh,  de  dew  it  am  a  fallin',  dat  'milion's  gwineter  cool, 

An'  soon  it  will  be  very,  very  fine; 
But,  bless  yo'  soul,  my  honey,  dis  darkey  ain'  no  fool 

To  leave  it  dar  a  hangin'  on  de  vine. 

Oh,  de  ham  bone  am  good,  de  bacon  am  sweet, 

'Possum  meat  am  very,  very  fine ; 
But  gimme,  oh  gimme,  oh  how  I  wish  you  would, 

Dat  watermilion  a  hangin'  on  de  vine. 

There  are  five  verses  in  the  song,  and  the  one  to 
which  Col.  Roosevelt  specially  warmed  up  was  the 
fourth,  as  follows: 

Oh,  de  'possum  an'  de  tater  am  mighty  good  to  eat — 
Some  darkeys  think  dar's  livin'  in  a  ham ; 

But  wa'termilion's  eatin'  dat  nuthin'  else  kin  beat, 
For  it's  loaded  full  of  "Glory  to  de  Lam.'  " 


52  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Another  song  was  the  "Levee  Bully,"  which  was 
some  years  ago  made  famous  on  the  stage  by 
May  Irwin,  the  popular  actress.  That  entire  pro 
duction  is  musically  so  strenuous  that  it  caught 
the  fancy  of  the  President  completely.  Major 
Stofer  was  on  the  program  to  render  the  bully 
song  one  night,  and  as  it  was  certain  that  Col. 
Roosevelt  would  be  the  star  guest  of  the  evening,  it 
occurred  to  the  Major  while  shaving  for  the  occa 
sion,  that  he  would  take  his  razor  to  the  dinner 
with  him.  This  razor  had  a  white  ivory  handle. 
Just  before  being  called  upon  he  threw  the  blade 
back  and  placed  the  razor  in  his  coat  pocket  so  that 
it  could  be  flashed  just  as  he  reached  the  words  in 
the  song  where  the  Tennessee  darkey,  supposed  to 
be  hunting  for  days  and  weeks  for  the  "levee 
bully,"  finally  got  him  cornered.  As  the  words,  "I 
drawed  my  steel  dat  gemman  for  to  find,"  were 
uttered,  Major  Stofer  was  looking  straight  at  CoL 
Roosevelt  who  was  listening  with  intense  interest. 
The  Major  flashed  the  razor.  Instantly  the  Colonel 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  gave  such  a  whoop  of  de 
light  that  it  convulsed  nearly  every  one  in  the 
central  portion  of  the  big  banquet  room  with 
laughter. 

None  of  the  reporters  covering  Col.  Roosevelt 
were  eligible  for  membership  in  Editor  Rodemey- 
er's  Bald  Headed  Club  of  America. 


AS  PRESIDENT 


iTSTER  BAY  being  a  centre  of  fashion  and 
wealth,  was  vested  with  additional  im 
portance  as  the  summer  capital  of  the 
Nation.  Merchants  and  tradesmen  of  all 
classes,  during  these  fortunate  summers, 
did  a  thriving  business. 

The  presence  of  President  Roosevelt  put  in 
circulation  a  large  amount  of  money,  expended  by 
visitors  who  went  to  Oyster  Bay  from  all  over  the 
country.  The  clerical  force  at  the  executive  of 
fices,  which  numbered  more  than  two  dozen  people, 
many  with  families,  left  a  large  amount  of  money 
each  year,  as  well  as  the  Secret  Service  men,  most 
of  whom  had  their  families  there.  The  great 
number  of  newspaper  men,  too,  added  largely  to 
the  prosperity  of  the  place. 

Once  the  President,  his  family  and  his  assistants 
were  gone,  and  the  summer  colonists  took  their 


56  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

departure,  Oyster  Bay  resumed  its  Rip  Van  Win 
kle-like  sleep. 


MRS.  ROOSEVELT  lives  very  quietly,  and 
shuns  publicity.  It  is  known  that  she 
always  had  unbounded  faith  in  her  husband's 
ability  and  power  to  command  a  future.  She 
proved  to  be  a  great  incentive  to  him  in  his  work. 

Theodore  Roosevelt  and  Edith  Kermit  Carow 
were  great  friends  in  early  youth.  The  Roose- 
velts  and  the  Carows  were  two  of  the  foremost 
families  in  New  York,  and  on  terms  of  intimacy 
with  each  other.  Edith  Carow  was  then  referred 
to  as  "a  lovely  and  brilliant  girl,"  just  as  her 
Oyster  Bay  neighbors  refer  to  her  now  as  "a 
beautiful  character."  Although  socially  promi 
nent,  she  has  always  lived  a  very  ordinary  life. 
Her  children  possess  her  traits  to  a  marked  de 
gree. 

Mrs.  Roosevelt  frequently  visits  the  rooms  of 
the  St.  Hilda  Society  of  Christ  Church,  and  en 
gages,  with  the  other  members,  in  sewing  for 
charity  or  for  the  annual  fair.  She  is  spoken  of 
as  "a  very  faithful  member." 

The  Society  was  founded  by  the  late  Mrs.  Henry 
Homer  Washburn,  wife  of  the  Rector  of  Christ 
Church,  of  which  Mrs.  Roosevelt  is  a  member. 


PRESIDENT  57 

The  Washburns  were  very  highly  thought  of  by 
the  Roosevelts.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Washburn,  who 
lives  in  New  York  City,  is  rector  emeritus  of 
Christ  Church.  His  father  was  the  author  of  the 
famous  patriotic  song  entitled:  "The  Vacant 
Chair." 

FIVE  children — three  sons  and  two  daughters — 
survive  Colonel  Roosevelt.  The  sons  are: 
Capt.  Archie  Roosevelt  and  Col.  Theodore  Roose 
velt,  Jr.,  who  were  with  the  American  forces  in 
France  and  Capt.  Kermit  Roosevelt  who  was  an 
officer  in  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces,  hav 
ing  enlisted  in  the  British  Army  before  the  United 
States  entered  the  war,  being  later  transferred. 

The  daughters  are :  Alice,  wife  of  Congressman 
Nicholas  Longworth  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  and 
Ethel,  now  Mrs.  Richard  Derby  of  New  York. 

PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT  frequently  took  a 
•*-  "short  cut"  to  the  executive  offices  from 
the  White  House,  walking  down  a  rear  terrace. 
One  day  he  found  a  policeman  asleep  while  guard 
ing  the  door  to  a  back  entrance.  The  President 
passed  the  sleeping  guard,  with  a  broad  grin  on 
his  face.  The  man  in  charge  of  the  grounds  at 
the  time,  having  learned  of  the  incident,  started 


58  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

to   arouse   and   admonish   the   policeman,   when 
the  President  raised  his  hand  and  exclaimed : 
"No!    No!    Don't    wake    him    up — unless    he 


T)ERFECT  harmony  prevailed  in  the  Roosevelt 
household  at  all  times.    This  fact  is  testified 
to  by  every  person  employed  at  Sagamore  Hill. 

Mrs.  Edward  Norris,  nee  Mary  McKenna,  of 
Washington,  D.  C.,  was  for  many  years  Mrs. 
Roosevelt's  maid,  and  her  services  were  very 
highly  valued.  When  Mrs.  Norris  left  the  White 
House,  President  Roosevelt  presented  her  with 
his  latest  portrait  bearing  the  following  inscrip 
tion: 

February  11,  1909.  To  Mary  McKemia  with  all  good 
wishes  for  her  future  from  Theodore  Roosevelt. 

Mrs.  Norris  was  particularly  fond  of  the  Roose 
velt  children.     She  says  that  Quentin  Roosevelt 
possessed  his  father's  qualities  to  a  marked  de 
gree.    Sometimes  matters  would  go  wrong  on  an 
"off  day,"  as  they  are  bound  to  do  in  every  house 
hold,  when  Mr.  Roosevelt  would  say : 
"0,  never  mind ;  that's  all  right !" 
, Quentin  often  made  the  same  remark.     Mrs. 
Norris   says  that  Quentin  would  frequently  be 


PRESIDENT  59 

found  in  a  corner  "with  his  nose  in  a  book."  At 
the  time  he  was  killed  in  the  aviation  service, 
Quentin  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  his  father. 
Miss  Margaret  McConvey,  governess  for  the 
Roosevelt  children,  was  extremely  fond  of  Quen 
tin,  and  grieved  greatly  over  his  death.  Miss  Annie 
Loftes,  maid  to  Miss  Alice,  went  with  her  to  Wash 
ington  when  she  became  Mrs.  Nicholas  Long- 
worth.  Miss  Annie  O'Rourke  was  the  cook,  Miss 
Rose  McKenna,  a  waitress,  and  Miss  Mamie  Led- 
with,  a  nurse.  They  all  speak  in  the  highest 
terms  of  the  cordial  manner  in  which  they  were 
treated  by  the  whole  Roosevelt  family  at  Saga 
more  Hill. 


THE  PRESIDENT  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt  were 
very  solicitous  of  the  comfort  and  health  of 
the  people  in  their  employ.  Noah  Seaman,  the 
superintendent  of  the  Sagamore  Hill  estate,  was 
an  exceptionally  fine  man,  and  the  President  re 
garded  him  highly,  treating  him  almost  like  a 
brother,  both  in  public  and  in  private.  Mr.  Roose 
velt  was  deeply  affected  when  he  learned  of  Sea 
man's  death,  and  considered  it  a  personal  loss. 

One  time  Mr.  Seaman  was  critically  ill  when 
Mr.  Roosevelt  was  at  the  White  House,  but  the 


60  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

family  did  not  acquaint  the  President  with  the 
fact. 

Mr.  Roosevelt  had  previously  asked  me  to  keep 
him  informed  concerning  certain  people  in  Oyster 
Bay, — in  fact,  I  was  a  sort  of  "Handy-Andy"  and 
a  "bureau  of  information"  for  the  entire  executive 
force,  as  well  as  the  New  York  newspapers  gener 
ally. 

I  considered  it  my  duty  to  write  to  the  President 
and  inform  him  of  Mr.  Seaman's  serious  condition. 
Mr.  Roosevelt  immediately  sent  a  specialist  from 
Washington  to  take  charge  of  the  case,  and  his 
prompt  action  at  the  time  probably  saved  Seaman's 
life. 


MR.  ROOSEVELT'S  unceasing  activity  con 
stantly  developed  exciting  incidents,  many 
of  which  never  reached  the  newspapers  because 
the  facts  were  known  only  to  the  immediate  family 
and  the  servants.  The  attaches  of  the  Roosevelt 
household  were  very  secretive,  and  would  never 
divulge  anything  unless  authorized  to  do  so. 

Mr.  Roosevelt  was  chopping  down  trees  in  the 
woods  one  day,  when  the  axe  slipped  and  he  re 
ceived  a  cut  on  the  foot.  He  made  light  of  the 
accident,  but  Superintendent  Seaman,  who  was 
with  him,  fearing  blood  poisoning,  insisted  upon 


PRESIDENT  61 

his  going  to  the  house  and  having  the  wound 
dressed  by  Mrs.  Roosevelt.  This  was  told  to  me 
by  Seaman,  who  requested  that  it  be  withheld 
from  publication. 

Here  is  another  startling  incident  that  never 
reached  the  newspapers. 

Mr.  Roosevelt  was  mounted  on  "Bleinstein,"  his 
favorite  saddle  horse,  one  morning,  when  the 
spirited  animal  suddenly  shied  and  the  President 
was  thrown  violently  to  the  ground,  near  the 
house,  striking  on  his  head  and  shoulders.  He 
was  badly  shaken  up  and  felt  the  effects  of  the 
fall  for  several  days.  I  was  strongly  tempted  to 
write  the  story  and  get  a  "scoop."  Again  I  was 
asked  to  treat  the  accident  confidentially. 

Mr.  Roosevelt  and  the  family  were  being  driven 
from  Sagamore  Hill  on  their  way  to  church  one 
Sunday,  when  the  carriage  came  in  close  contact 
with  a  half-drunken  man,  making  him  very  angry 
and  he  declared,  with  an  oath,  that  if  the  coachman 
would  get  out  of  the  conveyance  he  would  knock 
his  head  off. 

The  President  instantly  informed  the  coachman 
that  he  would  accept  the  challenge  himself,  and 
jumping  from  the  carriage  started  for  the  man, 
who  suddenly  recognized  Mr.  Roosevelt  and  has 
tened  to  apologize. 


62  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

HTHEODORE  ROOSEVELT  was  truly  a  man  of 
•*•  action.  He  was  never  still,  even  in  the 
hands  of  his  private  barber.  Intimate  friends  who 
gathered  about  him  at  such  times  became  nervous 
when  Mr.  Roosevelt  gesticulated,  or  sometimes 
would  spring  out  of  his  chair. 

"Isn't  there  danger  of  cutting  the  President?" 
some  one  much  concerned  asked  the  barber. 

"No,  indeed.  If  he  kept  still  I'd  cut  him  sure/' 
responded  the  tonsorialist,  smilingly. 

On  these  occasions  the  President  discussed  af 
fairs  of  state  with  Secretary  Elihu  Root,  to  whom 
he  referred  as  "the  invaluable  Elihu";  or  with 
Senator  Lodge,  his  avowed  bosom  friend ;  or  with 
Mr.  Pinchot,  Mr.  Garfield  and  Dr.  Lambert. 


ST.  HILDA  SOCIETY,  in  which  Mrs.  Roosevelt 
is  deeply  interested,  will  doubtless  take  an 
active  part  in  raising  funds  for  the  Roosevelt 
Memorial  Park.  Mrs.  George  E.  Talmadge,  wife 
of  the  rector  of  Christ  Church,  is  president  of  the 
Society;  Mrs.  Robert  J.  Ludlam,  secretary;  and 
Mrs.  Elbert  Rushmore,  treasurer.  The  other 
members  comprise  Mrs.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Mrs. 
Jesse  Mollineaux,  Mrs.  Robert  Spicer,  Mrs.  Frank 
Spicer,  Mrs.  Millie  Lewis,  Mrs.  Fred  Sammis,  Mrs. 
Charles  Wilkinson,  Mrs.  Edward  Birchell, 


An   Approved   Pictur? 


Photo   by    Pach    Brothers. 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

As  be  appeared  when  President  of  the  United  States, 
during  the  first  part  of  his  administration. 


The  picture  on  the  opposite  page  was  taken  during  the  reception  to 
his  neighbors  at  Oyster  Bay,  September  15,  1902,  when  President  Roose 
velt  gathered  about  him  several  of  his  neighbors  and  a  number  of 
New  York  detectives  on  the  veranda  of  his  house,  and  called  to  a 
photographer  to  take  the  group.  The  photographer  had  used  up  all  of 
his  plates,  but  being  quick-witted,  and  realizing  that  a  request  was 
virtually  a  command  from  the  President  of  the  United  States,  hastily 
slipped  into  the  camera  a  plate  already  exposed,  thus  making  a  double 
exposure,  the  picture  being  later  enlarged  and  sent  to  President  Roose 
velt. 

1.  Theodore   Roosevelt,   President  of  the  United   States. 

2.  James  E.  Downing,  Detective  Sergeant,  New  York. 

3.  J.  H.  Allen,  Central  Office  Detective,  New  York. 

4.  John  T.  Ruth,  Central  Office  Detective,  New  York. 

5.  John   Becker,    Central   Office  Detective,   New   York. 

6.  William  P.   Sheridan,  Detective   Sergeant,  New  York. 

7.  John  J.  Burke,  Central  Office  Detective,  New  York. 

8.  George  T.  Lawler,  Detective  National  Park  Bank,  New  York. 

9.  Thomas  Monday,  Central  Office  Detective,  New  York. 

10.  William  F.  Peabody,  Detective  Sergeant,  New  York. 

11.  Hon.   Wm.  J.  Youngs,   Member  Executive  Committee,   Oyster  Bay. 

12.  Frank  C.  Travers,  Chairman  General  Committee,  Oyster  Bay. 

13.  ^William  Loeb,  Jr.,   Manager  Oyster  Bay  Reception. 

14.  Mr.  Stone,  Chief  Usher,  White  House,  Washington. 

15.  Albert   L.   Cheney,   Pres.   Board   of   Education,    Chr.    Reception   Com. 

16.  A.  P.  Montant,  Member  Executive  Committee,  Oyster  Bay. 

17.  D.  B.   Shaw,   Secret  Service  Agent,  New  York. 

18.  Mr.   Pusey,   Usher  White  House,   Washington. 

19.  James  L.  Long,  Town  Clerk,  Secretary  General  Com.  Oyster  Bay. 

20.  James  H.  Ludlam,  Member  Executive  Committse,  Oyster  Bay. 

21.  Jerome  B.  Johnson,  Sheriff  Nassau  County,  Member  Executive  Com. 

22.  Mr.   Fullerton,    Special   Deputy   Sheriff,   Hempstead,   L.   I. 


Photo  by  Arthur  Hewitt,   1904. 

MRS.    THEODORE   ROOSEVELT 

And  two  sons,  Archie  and  Qnentin,  taken  when  at  the 
White  House. 


PRESIDENT 


63 


Mrs.  Daniel  Kraft,  Mrs.  Charles  Boyer,  Mrs. 
Fred  A.  Mills,  Mrs.  Herbert  Phillips,  Mrs. 
Elbert  Tappen,  Mrs.  James  Brice,  Mrs.  E.  Ebbitts, 
Mrs.  Edward  Townsend,  Mrs.  Harry  Townsend, 
Mrs.  John  Moore,  Mrs.  Wm.  Reid,  Mrs.  Frank 
McQueen,  Mrs.  Maurice  Townsend  and  the  Misses 
Alice  Reid,  Hattie  McCoun,  Vida  McCoun,  Bessie 
Mills,  Jennie  Underbill,  and  Marie  Groebel. 


Facsimile    of   Autograph    Card    written    by   the   President   at   the   White 

House. 


64  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

/"QUESTIONS  of  his  own  finances  or  private 
?s^,  business  never  entered  Mr.  Roosevelt's 
mind.  He  simply  signed  the  checks  and  Mrs. 
Roosevelt  or  his  secretaries  did  the  rest. 

A  shrewd  local  tradesman  was  seen  coming  from 
Sagamore  Hill  one  day,  seated  on  a  big  load  of 
hay.     A  fellow  townsman  asked  him  if  he  had 
driven  a  sharp  bargain  with  Mr.  Roosevelt. 
"Roosevelt,  me  eye !"  replied  the  man,  and  added : 
"I  bought  this  hay  from  Mrs.  Roosevelt,  and 
gave  her  more  than  the  market  value  because  she's 
a  mighty  fine  woman." 


A  FTER  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  elected  President, 
**•  Oyster  Bay  became  the  mecca  for  cranks, 
but,  thanks  to  the  constant  vigilance  of  the  Secret 
Service  men,  few  reached  Sagamore  Hill.  Mr. 
William  Craig,  a  Scotchman  of  Herculean  propor 
tions,  killed  in  a  street  car  accident  in  Pittsfield, 
Mass.,  while  acting  as  the  President's  bodyguard, 
was  very  highly  thought  of  in  Oyster  Bay. 

Craig,  known  as  "Big  Bill,"  was  a  familiar  figure 
on  the  streets  of  Oyster  Bay,  especially  in  the  early 
morning  hours. 

It  was  necessary  for  me  to  reach  my  office  at  an 
early  hour,  and  I  worked  at  a  big  window  opening 
almost  on  a  level  with  the  sidewalk. 


PRESIDENT  65 

The  reporters  had  designated  three  female 
cranks  as  the  "Woman  in  Black,"  the  "Woman  in 
Red,"  and  the  "Woman  in  Blue,"  who  were  each 
seeking  a  personal  interview  with  the  President. 

These  women  were  in  the  habit  of  coming  to  my 
open  window  and  relating  to  me  their  real,  or 
imaginary,  wrongs ;  importuning  me  to  use  my  in 
fluence  with  Secretary  Loeb  in  their  behalf. 

After  they  departed  Mr.  Craig  would  drop 
around  and  get  a  line  on  their  talk,  thus  keeping 
in  close  touch  with  every  questionable  person. 

One  morning  Big  Bill  seemed  to  be  very  much 
perturbed  over  something,  and  finally  volunteered 
the  information  that  he  had  just  called  up  one  of 
the  maids  at  Sagamore  Hill,  as  was  his  usual  cus 
tom,  and  the  'phone  was  unexpectedly  answered  by 
the  President  himself. 

"I  was  so  rattled  that  I  dropped  the  receiver  like 
a  hot  cake!"  said  Craig,  and  added: 

"Now,  I  wonder  what  the  President  will  think?" 

I  happened  to  know  later  that  the  President 
thought  it  a  mighty  fine  joke  on  "Big  Bill" ;  and 
Mr.  Roosevelt  certainly  loved  a  good  joke. 

The  following  tribute  in  verse  was  paid  to  the 
memory  of  Craig: 


66  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 


"flDp  &ba&ow" 

BY  FREDERICK  PARKER  KAM 

We  had  started  out  together  from  my  home  at  Oyster  Bay, 
On  a  visit  through  New  England  for  a  stumping  tour  one  day, 
The  month  was  August,  Nineteen  Two,  and  all  felt  blithe 

and  gay, 
For  the  people  gladly  met  us  as  we  chanced  to  pass  their  way. 

The  pleasures  of  that  trip  to  me  will  long  in  memory  cling, 
As   I   view   again   the   flower-strewn   streets   and   hear   the 

children  sing, 
But  they  tell  us  in  the  adage,  "There's  no  rose  without  its 

thorn," 
And  I  feel  mine  stinging  sorely  when  I  think  of  him  who's 

gone. 

We  made  a  call  at  Boston  and  our  welcome  was  sincere, 
We  next  drove  o'er  to  Harvard,  my  Alma  Mater  dear, 
Then  the  smaller  towns  and  cities  our  attention  did  attract, 
And  we  all  had  enjoyed  ourselves  'ere  we  turned  and  started 
back. 

We  next  went  to  New  Hampshire  and  then  down  into  Maine, 
Then  to  visit  Vermont  had  to  cross  New  Hampshire  once 

again ; 
From  Vermont  to  Massachusetts  we  had  safely  made  our 

way, 
When  a  tearful  incident  met  us  on  that  third  September  day. 

The  second  night  at  Dalton,  Mass,  we  stopped  with  Governor 

Crane, 
We  were  up  next  morning  and  on  our  way  again, 


PRESIDENT  67 

When  an  accident  occurred  to  us,  'tis  sad  to  here  relate, 
That  just  this  side  of  Pittsfield  my  old  friend  met  his  fate. 

We'd  left  Dalton  bound  for  Lenox,  Mass.,  were  well  upon 

our  way, 

The  people  flocked  to  see  us,  'twas  a  sweet  Autumnal  day. 
Our  horses  pranced  most  proudly  as  they  carried  us  along, 
And  cries  "Vive  la  President"  rose  from  the  surging  throng. 

We  were  rolling  on  unconsciously  when  suddenly  a  cry, 
From  Craig,  our  secret-service  man,  caused  me  to  turn  my 

eye. 

I  saw  an  Electric  Street  Car  with  Madden  at  the  grip, 
A  making  towards  our  landau  at  a  most  tremendous  clip. 

I  next  saw  Craig,  my  faithful  friend,  with  hand  well  raised 

in  air, 

He  was  shouting  at  his  utmost  to  the  rnotorman  "Take  Care," 
The  next  I  knew  it  all  seemed  still,  my  head  was  aching  sore, 
And  I  heard  Crane  say  to  Cortelyou  that  Craig  would  live 

no  more. 

Now  friends  I've  faced  the  enemy  on  San  Juan's  awful  hill, 
I've  viewed  the  blood-stained  corpses  in  Death's  grasp  cold 

and  still, 
But  never  in  my  whole  past  life  has  my  heart  ached  so 

sincere, 
As  it  did  that  day  for  my  dear  friend  Craig,  who  died  that 

I  might  be  here. 

'Twas  hard  my  fellow  citizens,  but  I  tried  to  make  the  most, 
When  I  knew  that  Craig  my  Shadow,  was  dying  at  his  post, 
And  I'm  not  ashamed  to  tell  you  that  it  almost  took  my 

breath, 
When  I  realized  my  Shadow  gone  who'd  been  faithful  unto 

death. 


68  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

The  other  Secret  Service  men  doing  duty  at 
Oyster  Bay  were:  James  Sloan,  Frank  Tyree, 
Richard  Taylor,  Stephen  Cornell,  and  Joseph  Mur 
phy  who  is  now  Assistant  Chief  of  the  Secret  Ser 
vice  Bureau  in  Washington. 


RANKS  go  to  ridiculous  extremes  in  an  en- 
deavor  to  reach  prominent  people  or  to  se 
cure  souvenirs.  Mr.  Roosevelt's  valet  told  of  a 
ridiculous  and  embarrassing  incident  that  hap 
pened  in  a  suite  of  rooms  at  a  hotel  while  Mr. 
Roosevelt  was  absent  making  a  speech. 

A  very  stylishly  dressed  woman  passed  back 
and  forth  in  front  of  Mr.  Roosevelt's  room,  and 
then  suddenly  darted  through  the  open  door.  Seiz 
ing  Mr.  Roosevelt's  coat  which  was  hanging  on  a 
chair,  she  clasped  it  in  her  arms,  and  waltzed 
wildly  around  the  room,  exclaiming : 

"I've  hugged  him !  I've  hugged  him !" 

The  valet  was  speechless  with  astonishment,  and 
before  he  could  recover  himself  sufficiently  to  act, 
the  woman  threw  down  the  coat  and  rushed  from 
the  room,  highly  elated  over  what  she  had  done. 

The  valet  feared  to  tell  Mr.  Roosevelt  about  the 
incident  because  he  said  the  President  would  have 
been  so  disgusted  that  he  might  put  the  blame  on 
him. 


PRESIDENT  69 

WHILE  on  duty  in  the  office  of  the  New  York 
Herald  I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  John 
C.  Kennahan,  editor  of  the  Long  Island  Farmer 
at  Jamaica,  stating  that  he  was  offered  an  opportu 
nity  to  purchase  from  Mr.  Edward  N.  Townsend 
the  Pilot  printing  establishment  at  Oyster  Bay, 
and  wrote  that  he  proposed  to  buy  the  plant  if  I 
would  consent  to  act  as  publisher  and  manager  of 
the  paper.  The  consent  was  given,  and  this  de 
cision  led  up  to  my  settling  in  Oyster  Bay  and  to 
my  close  acquaintance  later  with  Theodore  Roose 
velt. 

Mr.  Kennahan,  who  died  recently,  was  a  wonder 
ful  financier,  and  wielded  a  very  caustic  pen.  He 
would  go  the  limit  for  a  friend,  but  never  spared 
an  enemy. 

He  gave  me  carte  blanche  in  editing  the  Pilot, 
and  visited  the  office  in  Oyster  Bay  only  occasion 
ally.  He  took  a  keen  interest  in  the  paper,  how 
ever,  and  it  grew  to  be  his  pet.  It  wielded  con 
siderable  power  in  the  town  and  county,  and 
waxed  prosperous.  With  the  aid  of  his  outside 
transactions  the  business  increased  tremendous 
ly.  During  one  year  alone,  the  net  income  of  the 
Pilot  reached  over  forty  thousand  dollars,  and  in 
fact  yielded  a  big  profit  every  year.  Being  an  of- 


70  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

ficial  paper,  it  published  the  tax  sales  and  redemp 
tion  notices. 

Mr.  Kennahan  owned  two  official  papers  in  Nas 
sau  county  and  one  in  Queens.  He  obtained  a 
monopoly  of  certain  business  in  both  counties.  Gov 
ernor  Roosevelt's  letter  of  acceptance  was  ordered 
printed  in  the  Pilot  office  as  an  official  document. 

Mr.  Kennahan  started  life  as  a  newsboy;  acted 
as  altar  boy  in  St.  Monica's  Church,  Jamaica ;  and 
was  for  twenty-two  years  reporter  on  the  Brooklyn 
Eagle.  He  reported  the  famous  Rugg  murder 
case,  and  by  hiring  a  special  locomotive  of  the 
Long  Island  Railroad,  he  secured  the  first  confes 
sion  from  the  murderer. 

He  owned  an  exceedingly  fine  home  in  Brook 
lyn,  and  had  a  country  seat  at  Great  Neck,  Long 
Island.  He  was  very  proud  of  his  home  and 
family.  His  wife,  Eva,  who  survives  him,  is  an 
exceptionally  fine  woman;  and  his  success  in  life 
was  largely  due  to  her  ability  and  influence.  He 
also  leaves  a  son,  Mr.  George  Hollis  Kennahan. 
Three  Nephews,  Messrs.  George  H.  and  Cecil  Ken 
nahan,  and  Mr.  James  F.  Sullivan,  conduct  a 
publishing  business  at  Jamaica,  L.  I. 


PRESIDENT  71 

MR.  ROOSEVELT  was  given  to  flash  judg 
ment,  but  would  as  quickly  change  his  mind 
if  a  reasonable  suggestion  was  made.    He  always 
acted  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment. 

Arriving  at  the  White  House  from  Oyster  Bay 
one  day,  Secretary  Loeb  told  me  that  the  President 
wished  to  see  me  in  his  office.  Entering  the  Presi 
dent's  room,  I  found  him  conversing  very  earnestly 
with  Vice  President  Fairbanks  and  a  Southern 
senator.  The  minute  the  President  saw  me  he 
ended  the  conversation  abruptly  and  rushed  for 
ward  with  both  hands  extended,  exclaiming : 

"How  are  all  the  people  at  Oyster  Bay?" 

Mr.  Fairbanks  and  the  senator  stared  at  each 
other  in  utter  amazement,  as  much  as  to  say : 

"Who  in  thunder  is  that  guy?" 

Later,  when  the  President  was  about  to  welcome 
a  big  delegation  of  visitors,  he  told  me  to  take  a 
chair  near  a  door  of  the  reception  room  and 
watch  the  proceedings.  Seated  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  room  was  a  reporter  who  had  been 
given  permission  to  watch  the  President  in  action. 
When  the  reporter's  story  appeared  in  print  it 
bore  the  caption: 

"An  Hour  with  a  Mile-a-Minute  President." 


72  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

XJOTWITHSTANDING  his  great  prominence 
i^l  and  wide  influence,  Theodore  Roosevelt  was 
very  democratic  in  his  treatment  of  his  deserving 
fellow  citizens. 

Some  men,  when  they  attain  high  positions,  look 
down  upon  less  fortunate  ones  and  appear  to  say : 

"It  is  very  fine  up  here,"  and  at  the  same  time, 
in  the  selfishness  and  pride  of  their  nature,  actual 
ly  think : 

"I  am  awfully  glad  you  can't  get  up  beside  me/' 

Mr.  Roosevelt  never  could  be  justly  classed  with 
the  "I-am-better-than-thou"  type  of  man,  who 
delights  to  pose  as  something  more  select  than  the 
common  herd.  He  never  thought  that  everything 
outside  of  his  set  was  "Dutch." 

One  day  a  woman  stenographer  was  sent  from 
Scribner's  Magazine  to  take  in  shorthand  a  story 
which  the  Colonel  had  agreed  to  dictate.  She  did 
not  realize  the  difficulties  she  would  encounter  in 
getting  the  story.  Mr.  Roosevelt  set  an  hour  to 
meet  her  in  the  gun  room,  and  when  he  did  not 
appear  at  the  appointed  time,  she  walked  the  floor 
exclaiming : 

"When  do  you  think  I  shall  ever  get  that  story?" 

Some  one  pointed  to  the  window  and  said : 

"Look!" 

What  she  saw  from  the  window  was  the  Colonel 


PRESIDENT  73 

sliding  down  hill  on  skis  with  the  children.  Mr. 
Roosevelt  appeared  later,  very  apologetic  and  ex 
tremely  polite. 

AS  I  ENJOYED  not  only  the  confidence  of 
President  Roosevelt,  but  also  of  Secretary 
George  B.  Cortelyou  and  Secretary  Wm.  Loeb,  Jr., 
as  well  as  the  members  of  the  "Summer  White 
House"  Executive  force  and  the  employees  at 
Sagamore  Hill,  it  was  frequently  more  difficult  to 
withhold  "tips"  than  it  was  to  get  the  news.  Often 
a  "leak"  was  attributed  to  me  when  I  was  absolute 
ly  innocent. 

Instructions  had  been  given  by  Mr.  Loeb  to 
grant  me  access  to  the  executive  offices  at  Oyster 
Bay  at  all  times.  This  liberty  once  caused  me 
considerable  embarrassment,  but  the  incident  final 
ly  proved  to  be  rather  amusing. 

When  the  death  of  Secretary  Hay  was  hourly 
expected,  the  reporters  were  all  on  the  alert  to 
make  the  announcement  by  way  of  Sagamore  Hill. 
My  house  telephone  was  installed  at  the  head  of  my 
bed  for  instant  use,  and  I  slept  very  little  the 
night  Secretary  Hay  died,  expecting  every  minute 
to  get  a  "tip"  from  New  York. 

Leaving  the  house  very  early  in  the  morning, 
and  while  walking  down  to  my  office,  I  saw  Mr. 
Elmer  E.  Paine  of  the  Associated  Press  driving 


74  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

through  the  streets  in  a  carriage.  He  had  been  to 
Sagamore  Hill  to  see  the  President,  and  was  in 
a  great  hurry,  having  received  word  that  Secre 
tary  Hay  was  dead.  Mr.  Paine  said  he  would  give 
out  the  facts  later. 

Shortly  after,  I  sauntered  into  the  executive 
offices,  and  on  Secretary  Loeb's  desk  found  a  long- 
telegram  of  condolence  from  the  President  to  Mrs. 
Hay  to  be  given  out,  as  I  supposed.  I  made  a  copy 
of  the  telegram,  rushed  out  and  telephoned  it  to 
the  papers  in  New  York. 

Later,  on  the  way  to  Mr.  Paine's  room,  I  met 
Mr.  William  Hoster  of  the  New  York  American.  I 
informed  him  that  Mr.  Paine  had  seen  the  Presi 
dent  and  was  to  give  out  the  story.  When  we  met 
Mr.  Paine  he  recounted  his  interview  with  the 
President,  stating  very  carefully  and  most  em 
phatically  that  he  had  been  intrusted  with  a  tele 
gram  to  be  sent  to  Mrs.  Hay,  and  that  the  Pres 
ident  said  it  must  not  be  given  out  with  the  story. 
And  I  had  already  telephoned  the  message  to 
New  York ! 

Suddenly  realizing  that  Mr.  Paine  had  left  the 
copy  of  the  telegram  on  Mr.  Loeb's  desk,  and  that 
the  despatch  would  be  given  to  the  public  before 
it  reached  Mrs.  Hay,  I  hastily  excused  myself, 


PRESIDENT  75 

rushed  to  the  nearest  telephone  and  tried  to  recall 
the  telegram. 

I  heard  the  day  man,  at  the  newspaper  desk  in 
New  York,  laugh  uproarously  and  shout: 

"Cheney's  got  a  'scoop'  and  he's  scared  to 
death." 

Of  course  the  Associated  Press  demanded  an 
immediate  explanation  from  Mr.  Paine  as  to  why 
the  despatch  had  been  omitted  from  his  story.  Nat 
urally  Mr.  Paine  was  furious,  and  threatened  dire 
things  to  the  guilty  parties,  including  the  tele 
graph  operator  and  the  colored  messenger  in 
charge  of  the  executive  office,  both  being  badly 
frightened.  I  was  also  afraid  that  my  hasty 
action  would  put  me  in  bad  with  the  President. 
When  Mr.  Loeb  reached  his  desk,  after  seeing 
Mr.  Roosevelt,  and  said  to  me: 

"I  see  that  you  scored  a  beat  on  Paine  this  morn 
ing,"  I  breathed  a  deep  sigh  of  relief. 


IT  WAS  never  discovered  how  a  stranger  uncere 
moniously  entered  the  dining  room  at  Saga 
more  Hill  one  morning.     The  President  was  at 
breakfast  when  he  looked  up  and  found  the  man 
standing  beside  him. 

"How  did  you  get  in  here?"  asked  the  President, 
in  amazement. 


76  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

"Walked  in,"  said  the  intruder  coolly. 
The  man's  audacity  so  amused  the  President  that 
he  did  not  order  him  ejected,  but  accompanied  him 
personally  to  the  door. 


PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT  was  fortunate  in 
having  a  most  competent  executive  force  at 
Oyster  Bay.  It  was  the  rule,  rather  than  the  ex 
ception,  to  burn  "midnight-oil,"  in  the  Summer 
White  House  offices  over  Moore's  grocery  store. 

The  pace  was  set  by  Secretary  William  Loeb, 
Jr.,  who  was  known  as  President  Roosevelt's 
"right  hand  man."  The  regular  force  included 
Messrs.  M.  C.  Latta,  N.  P.  Webster,  Clarence  E. 
Ingling,  E.  W.  Smithers,  J.  L.  McGrew,  Wilbur 
Hinman,  B.  F.  Barnes,  and  T.  H.  Netherland.  Of 
this  number,  Netherland  and  Barnes  have  joined 
the  great  majority.  Mr.  Barnes  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  by  President 
Roosevelt.  Mr.  Latta,  Mr.  Webster,  Mr.  Smithers, 
and  Mr.  Ingling  are  still  at  the  White  House.  Mr. 
McGrew  secured  a  good  position  in  another  de 
partment  of  the  Government.  Mr.  Hinman  pur 
chased  a  farm  and  has  settled  down  "next  to 
nature." 

William  Loeb,  Jr.,  now  numbered  among  the 
West  End  summer  colonists  at  Oyster  Bay,  is  a 


PRESIDENT  77 

prominent  financier.  He  purchased  the  fine  home 
stead  of  the  late  Col.  Robert  Townsend  on  the 
picturesque  West  shore,  where  he  lives  a  quiet  life 
with  his  wife  and  son,  William  Loeb,  third,  which 
is  in  striking  contrast  to  his  activity  in  days  of 
yore,  as  is  shown  by  the  following  quotations  from 
an  article  published  in  the  Illustrated  Magazine, 
in  March,  1903,  written  by  Mr.  John  Elfreth  Wat- 
kins,  Jr.,  a  well-known  special  correspondent.  No 
personal  memoirs  of  Mr.  Roosevelt  would  be 
complete  without  extended  reference  to  Mr.  Loeb. 

Of  all  young  Americans  in  their  thirties  the  most  con 
spicuous  in  our  national  life  is  William  Loeb,  Jr.,  just 
elevated  to  the  difficult  and  responsible  office  of  Secretary 
to  the  President 

A  perfectly  clean  desk  greeted  Secretary  Loeb  when  he 
assumed  his  office.  Such  had  been  the  perfect  executive 
ability  of  Secretary  George  B.  Cortelyou  that  no  unfinished 
business  was  carried  forward 

Tact  and  wide  acquaintance  with  men  of  affairs  are 
the  main  keynotes  to  Secretary  Loeb's  success.  His  first 
employment  after  graduation,  was  in  the  office  of  a  news 
paper  correspondent,  where  speed  and  a  willingness  to 
adapt  himself  to  irregular  hours  were  the  prime  requisites. 
Then  he  found  better  pay  in  the  offices  of  business  men  until 
Bishop  Doane  selected  him  as  his  amanuensis.  In  his 
make-up  there  was  none  of  the  nomadic  spirit  characteristic 
of  the  average  young  man  with  equal  self-reliance. 

He  was  born  in  Albany.  He  had  a  taste  for  politics  and 
at  an  early  age  became  the  chief  lieutenant  of  Eugene  Bur- 


78  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

lingame,  the  then  Republican  leader  of  Albany.  He  was 
secretary  of  the  Republican  county  committee  when  scarcely 
more  than  a  youth,  and  served  two  years  as  vice-president 
of  the  Unconditional  Republican  Club.  When  only  twenty- 
two,  he  was  elected  official  stenographer  of  the  lower  house 
of  the  New  York  Legislature,  a  position  which  demanded 
great  skill,  and  which  was  fraught  with  many  responsibili 
ties  for  one  of  his  few  years 

During  the  first  few  months  of  Mr.  Roosevelt's  adminis 
tration  as  Governor  of  New  York,  Mr.  Loeb  served  as  one 
of  the  four  executive  stenographers.  Had  he  been  a  young 
man  of  mediocre  ability,  he  would  never  have  attracted 
the  strenuous  Rough  Rider's  attention.  As  it  was,  Mr. 
Loeb  had  so  much  improved  his  time  in  his  short  career 
that  he  had  a  personal  acquaintance  with  all  of  the  public 
men  frequenting  the  State  Capital.  Since  serving  as  stenog 
rapher  to  the  Assembly,  he  had  been  private  secretary  to 
a  Lieutenant-Governor,  a  president  pro  tern,  of  the  State 
Senate,  a  speaker  of  the  Assembly  and  a  candidate  for  the 
office  of  Governor.  With  the  latter,  Mr.  Fassett,  he  had 
toured  the  State  during  a  spirited  campaign.  He  had  re 
ported  the  debates  of  the  constitutional  convention  and 
had  been  stenographer  of  the  District  Attorney  and  grand 
jury. 

Governor  Roosevelt  soon  realized  that  a  young  man  with 
such  experience  and  wide  acquaintance  would  be  valuable  to 
him  as  his  private  and  confidential  secretary.  Mr.  Loeb  re 
ceived  the  promotion.  And  he  has  been  "Roosevelt's  right- 
hand  man"  ever  since. 

Prior  to  President  Buchanan's  administration  each  Pres 
ident  had  to  furnish  his  own  private  secretary  and  pay 
for  such  services  out  of  his  own  pocket;  and  in  those 


PRESIDENT  79 

days  the  presidential  salary  was  but  $25,000  a  year.  But 
the  work  of  the  Presidential  office  was  as  nothing  in  those 
early  times  compared  with  what  it  is  now  No  books 
were  kept,  and  all  official  letters  were  answered  in  the 
executive  departments 

The  first  official  private  secretary  authorized  by  Congress 
received  $2500  a  year.  Fifteen  or  twenty  years  later,  this 
was  increased  to  $3500.  It  was  during  President  Cleve 
land's  regime  that  it  was  raised  to  $5,000,  the  present 
figure. 

Two  men  besides  Secretary  George  B.  Cortelyou  have 
found  this  office  a  stepping  stone  to  the  Cabinet.  These 
are  John  Hay,  and  Daniel  S.  Lamont  Secretary  of  War 
during  President  Cleveland's  second  administration.  John 
Hay,  immediately  after  being  admitted  to  practice  before 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  in  1861,  was  offered  the 
position  of  assistant  secretary  to  President  Lincoln,  and 
accepted  it.  Later  he  was  appointed  adjutant  and  aide-de 
camp  to  Lincoln,  whom  he  served  in  the  capacity  of  mili 
tary  secretary.  Lincoln's  only  civil  private  secretary  was 
John  G.  Nicolay,  who  collaborated  with  Secretary  Hay 
in  the  preparation  of  a  notable  life  of  the  great  Civil  War 
President. 


Secretary  Joseph  P.  Tumulty  has  had  more 
difficult  problems  to  solve  than  any  of  his  pred 
ecessors,  because  of  the  great  war,  and  the  absence 
of  the  President  from  this  country.  However, 
his  genial  disposition,  and  the  happy  faculty  of 
taking  things  philosophically  has  materially  les 
sened  his  task. 


80  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

DURING  Mr.  Loeb's  absence  from  the  summer 
White  House  at  Oyster  Bay,  his  place  was 
filled  by  Assistant  Secretary  Rudolph  Forster,  who 
has  a  record  of  twenty-two  years  in  the  White 
House,  dating  from  March  5,  1897.  Being  a  per 
sistent  plodder,  he  is  still  on  the  job. 

Mr.  Forster  seems  to  find  rest  in  work.  When 
he  goes  on  a  vacation,  which  is  once  in  a  dozen 
years,  he  "feels  like  a  fish  out  of  water."  He 
is  Secretary  Tumulty's  right  bower.  Mr.  Forster 
has  a  wonderful  store  of  interesting  information 
concerning  the  White  House  and  public  men,  and 
he  is  exceedingly  popular. 


Mr-  Forster  is  known  as  the  "silent  man."  Mr. 
Robert  D.  Heinl  gave  the  following  excellent  pen- 
picture  of  him  in  Leslie's : 

You  probably  never  heard  of  a  human  lubricant,  but  as  com 
pared  with  Rudolph  Forster,  assistant  secretary  to  the  Pres 
ident,  graphite  and  the  smoothest  oil  are  crude  in  texture. 
He's  not  the  titular  head  of  the  office,  but  anybody  who 
knows  his  Washington  will  tell  you  that  Mr.  Forster  is  the 
steady,  silent — always  silent — well-balanced  pendulum  who 
keeps  the  machinery  of  the  White  House  offices,  the  busiest 
and  most  interesting  organization  of  the  nation,  everlastingly 
moving.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  entire  government  service 
possesses  a  more  indefatigable  worker  than  he. 


PRESIDENT  81 

There  was  hardly  the  zephyr  of  a  breeze  created  when  this 
suave  gentleman  appeared  in  President  McKinley's  work 
shop  years  ago  as  a  stenographer.  He  came  in  the  back 
door,  hung  up  his  hat,  and  began  to  work.  He  has  never 
stopped,  though  it  is  vaguely  reported  that  on  Christmas 
eve  a  year  ago  he  nearly  got  home  to  spend  a  few  hours  with 
his  family.  This  may  be  an  exaggeration,  but  it  is  a  fact 
that,  as  the  gray  streaks  of  dawn  were  breaking  on  one  occa 
sion,  President  Roosevelt  suddenly  laid  a  heavy  hand  upon 
Mr.  Forster's  shoulder.  The  colonel — pacing  up  and  down 
the  floor  in  his  restless,  gnashing  way — had  dictated  to  the 
faithful  employe  by  his  side  all  night  long. 

"Rudolph,  we're  going  to  quit !"  Mr.  Roosevelt's  voice 
carried  the  high-tension  whirr.  "I've  worked  you  so  hard 
that  if  you  were  to  kill  me  and  leave  enough  strength  in  my 
body  I  would  sign  a  complete  pardon  for  you  before  I 
died." 

President  Taft  is  said  to  have  humorously  compared  the 
always-on-the-job  Forster  to  his  (the  President's)  right  el 
bow.  "And  I  couldn't  crook  a  finger  without  my  elbow 
responding,"  was  his  tribute  to  the  assistant  secretary.  In 
short,  Mr.  Forster  is  a  President's  man  and  forever  keeps  to 
that  high  standard. 

He  is  another  example  of  how  a  stenographer  who  uses 
his  brains  may  get  to  the  top.  When  Rudolph  Forster  came 
to  the  executive  olfices  he  had  made  a  name  for  himself 
by  his  accuracy  and  speed  at  taking  shorthand  dictation. 
George  B.  Cortelyou,  whom  we  now  refer  to  as  one  of  our 
best  known  former  cabinetarians — Secretary  of  Commerce 
and  Labor,  Postmaster  General,  or  Secretary  of  the  Treas 
ury  whichever  large  title  pleases  you  most — was  in  those 
days  on  the  bridge  at  the  White  House  offices,  second  in 


82  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

command  to  John  Addison  Porter,  the  then  President's  sec 
retary-  Forster  was  one  of  the  seven  clerks,  and  the  busi 
ness  was  being  handled  upstairs  in  the  White  House,  over 
the  east  room.  So  tremendous  has  the  volume  of  business 
increased  since  then,  especially  during  and  following  the 
Spanish-American  war,  that  the  offices  now  occupy  an  en 
tirely  separate  building  and  four  times  the  former  number  of 
employes  have  to  labor  day  and  night,  holidays  not  excepted, 
to  keep  the  work  to  date.  Other  government  branches  close 
at  4:30  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  but  when  the  latest  home- 
goers  pass  along  Pennsylvania  avenue,  the  thoroughfare  de 
serted  save  for  a  sleepy  policeman  or  so,  it  is  an  odd  night 
if  the  lights  in  the  executive  offices  are  not  burning  brightly. 


>N  THE  OCCASION    of  the  great  naval  re 
view  I  was  highly  gratified  at  receiving 
the  following  invitation : 


o 


THE  WHITE  HOUSE, 

WASHINGTON, 

SEPTEMBER  1,  1906. 
My   Dear  Mr.   Cheney : 

I  have  made  arrangements  for  you  to  be  on  board  the 
U.  S.  S.  Mayflower  during  the  naval  review  on  Long 
Island  Sound  Monday,  September  3,  1906. 

Bring  this  letter  with  you  as  your  credential. 

WM.   LOEB   Jr., 
Secretary  to  the  President. 


PRESIDENT  83 

As  the  big  fleet  of  war  ships  passed  in  review, 
President  Roosevelt,  filled  with  unbounded  enthu 
siasm,  exclaimed: 

"By  George!  Doesn't  the  sight  of  those  big 
warships  make  one's  blood  tingle?  Every  true- 
blue  American  should  see  this." 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  Mrs.  Roosevelt,  who 
stood  near  the  President,  turned  to  me  and  asked 
after  my  daughter,  saying : 

"It  was  only  yesterday  that  we  were  talking 
about  Amy  and  how  hard  she  used  to  work  at  Sag 
amore  Hill." 

I  replied  that  she  had  tried  to  be  a  credit  to  the 
Colonel,  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt  said  that  she  thought 
that  she  was  a  credit  to  her  father. 

"Yes,"  added  the  President,  "and  she  has  writ 
ten  some  very  delightful  things  about  my  family." 

The  above  is  printed  as  additional  proof  that 
the  Roosevelts  fully  appreciated  faithful  service 
and  were  not  too  exalted  to  recognize  people  in 
humbler  circumstances. 

Mrs.  Roosevelt  thoroughly  appreciated  what  had 
been  written  about  the  Roosevelt  children,  as 
is  evidenced  by  the  following  letter  sent  from 
Albany  when  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  Governor : 


84  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

EXECUTIVE  MANSION,  ALBANY, 

DEC.  15,  1901. 
My  Dear  Miss  Cheney  : 

Thank  you  so  much  for  the  article.  I  think  you  know 
quite  well  what  to  say  that  is  right,  and  I  am  glad  to  have 
the  little  record  of  the  busy  Christmas  to  lay  away  for  the 
children  when  they  are  old.  I  am  so  glad  you  are  well  and 
strong  again. 

The  Governor  and  the  children  join  me  in  best  wishes 
for  your  happiness  and  success  in  the  coming  year. 
Believe  me. 

Sincerely  yours, 

EDITH  K.  ROOSEVELT. 


A  FUNNY  episode  in  which  Mr.  Roosevelt  and 
the  reporters  figured,  showed  his  mag 
nanimity  even  under  adverse  circumstances. 

One  Sunday  a  local  preacher  in  his  over-zealous 
admiration  of  Mr.  Roosevelt,  during  a  memorial 
sermon  digressed  from  his  eulogistic  remarks  and 
denounced  the  trusts,  at  a  time  when  the  subject 
was  a  very  delicate  one  from  a  political  standpoint, 
coupling  Mr.  Roosevelt's  name  in  a  manner  that 
was  thought  to  be  displeasing  to  the  President. 

The  reporters  present,  always  on  the  alert  for 
just  such  an  apparent  break,  eagerly  sought  for 
copies  of  the  sermon.  My  daughter  had  been 
asked  to  take  the  sermon  in  shorthand  at  the 


PRESIDENT  85 

church,  but  declined,  finally  consenting  to  type 
write  it  at  my  house.  After  the  minister  arrived, 
the  reporters  assembled  in  the  parlor. 

In  the  meantime  the  preacher,  getting  word  of 
Mr.  Roosevelt's  supposed  displeasure,  concluded 
not  to  give  out  the  sermon,  and  then  pandemonium 
broke  loose  among  the  newspaper  men.  They 
argued  with  the  minister  and  threatened  dire 
things. 

Glancing  out  of  the  window  the  reporters  saw 
Secretary  Loeb,  drive  up  in  a  carriage.  Think 
ing  that  Mr.  Loeb  had  come  to  suppress  the  ser 
mon,  a  representative  of  one  of  the  big  news 
associations,  jumped  up  and  shouted  excitedly: 

"Don't  you  admit  that  man  in  here !" 

The  reporter  was  informed  that  it  would  be 
hardly  proper  to  refuse  admittance  to  the  Secre 
tary  to  the  President  of  the  United  States ! 

Secretary  Loeb,  a  master  hand  at  adjusting 
difficulties  of  this  character,  poured  oil  on  the 
troubled  waters,  and  advised  the  minister  to  grant 
the  request  of  the  reporters,  Mr.  Loeb  having  just 
come  from  the  President  and  knowing  that  he  had 
personally  expressed  no  disapproval  of  the  sermon. 

The  next  day  the  newspapers  all  carried  sensa 
tional  stories  on  the  sermon,  but  Mr.  Roosevelt 
merely  smiled  and  considered  the  incident  closed. 


86  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Mr.  Loeb's  mission  to  the  house  was  only  for 
the  purpose  of  arranging  suitable  quarters  for  the 
newspaper  men  at  a  coming  Roosevelt  reception. 


MR.  ROOSEVELT  had  nothing  to  gain,  either 
socially  or  politically,  by  being  good  to  me. 
He  was  just  impulsive,  good-hearted  and  appre 
ciative.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Pilot,  with  which 
I  was  connected,  never  supported  Mr.  Roosevelt 
politically,  and  I  was  also  identified  with  the  local 
Democratic  organization,  having  always  been  an 
independent  Republican.  But  Mr.  Roosevelt  made 
no  distinction  between  Democrats  and  Republi 
cans  in  his  home  town.  I  was  appointed  to  a  posi 
tion  in  Washington  by  Commissioner  West,  a  Dem 
ocrat,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Roosevelt,  who  had 
re-appointed  Mr.  West  Commissioner  of  the  Dis 
trict  of  Columbia. 

When  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  a  candidate  for  Presi 
dent  I  wrote  him  a  letter,  stating  that  I  felt  under 
obligation  to  go  home  and  vote  for  him,  but  at  the 
same  time  thought  I  ought  also  to  be  loyal  to  the 
administration  that  furnished  me  my  bread  and 
butter.  Within  a  few  days  Mr.  Roosevelt  replied 
as  follows : 


PRESIDENT  87 

THE  OUTLOOK, 

287  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York., 

OFFICE  OF  August  13,  1912. 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Cheney  : 

That  is  a  very  interesting  letter  of  yours,  and  I  thank 
you  for  it.  Now  do  not  under  any  circumstances  jeopardizo 
your  position.  Keep  perfectly  quiet.  You  have  a  righc  to 
vote  as  you  desire,  but  you  must  not  talk  or  attract  attention 
by  partizanship.  Good  luck  to  you. 

Faithfully  yours, 

THEODORE    ROOSEVELP. 

He  again  wrote  in  November : 

OYSTER  BAY, 
November  4,  1912. 
Dear  Mr.  Cheney : 

I  am  deeply  touched  by  your  letter.  But,  my  dear 
fellow,  I  am  concerned  also,  for  you  must  not  jeopardize 
your  position. 

May  all  good  fortune  be  yours, 

Sincerely  yours, 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT. 


THE  son  of  a  prominent  Tammany  Hall  man 
was  set  back  three  years  in  his  rating  in  the 
United  States  Navy  through  no  fault  of  his  own. 
Pressure  was  brought  to  bear  on  prominent  of 
ficials,  even  to  a  Cabinet  officer,  to  give  the  boy 
another  chance,  but  no  one  cared  to  ask  the 
President  to  reverse  himself. 


88  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

The  matter  was  brought  to  my  attention  at 
Oyster  Bay,  and  I  accompanied  the  young  man  to 
the  White  House,  stating  the  case  to  President 
Roosevelt,  being  reinforced  by  a  favorable  letter 
from  the  Chairman  of  the  Naval  Examining 
Board.  President  Roosevelt,  remarking  that  "we 
must  stand  by  the  young  men  of  the  country,  es 
pecially  when  they  are  in  the  right,"  ordered  the 
case  to  be  reopened,  and  the  young  man  success 
fully  passed  the  examination.  A  few  days  later  I 
received  the  following  letter  concerning  the  case : 

THE  WHITE  HOUSE, 

WASHINGTON, 

Nov.  7,  1907. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Cheney : 

I    send    herewith    for    your    information    copy    of    an 
Executive   Order   which   the   President   signed   today,   con 
cerning  the  case  of  Lieut.  Moses,  United  States  Navy. 
Very  Truly  yours, 

WM.  LOEB,  Jr., 
Secretary  to  the  President. 

It  was  thought  that  race  prejudice  entered  into 
this  case,  but  it  mattered  not  to  Mr.  Roosevelt 
whether  a  person  was  a  Jew  or  Gentile,  white  or 
black. 

He  took  Oscar  Straus  into  his  cabinet.  His  aim 
always  was  to  give  every  man  a  square  deal. 


PRESIDENT  89 

Indeed,  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  generous  almost  to  a 
fault.  One  day  when  President  Roosevelt  went 
home  to  vote,  I  received  a  telegram  from  the  New 
York  Herald  which  read : 

"Cover  Roosevelt  to  the  blinking  of  an  eye." 

This  meant,  of  course,  that  the  Herald  wanted 
an  "incident  story."  When  the  President  arrived 
he  greeted  me,  with  others,  at  the  station.  I  did 
not  expect  to  speak  with  him  personally  again,  as 
he  was  making  a  whirl-wind  visit. 

I  followed  him  to  the  voting  booth  over  a 
Chinese  laundry.  He  was  by  far  the  liveliest  man 
in  the  crowd,  with  his  breezy  Western  manners 
and  cheery  greetings.  It  was: 

"Hello,  Sheriff  Johnson!" 

"Joe,  you  are  looking  well !" 

"Hello,  Sim!" 

"How's  the  baby,  Wally?" 

"Glad  to  see  you,  Jake." 

Then  he  darted  up  the  narrow  stairway  to  the 
polling  place,  heartily  greeting  ballot  clerk  James 
J,  Mills,  who  shouted  gleefully: 

"Theodore  Roosevelt  votes  ballot  No.  123 !" 

August  P.  Montant,  a  Democrat  and  a  promi 
nent  summer  colonist,  who  followed  him  in  voting, 
asked : 

"Hasn't  the  President  the  right  to  vote  twice?" 


90  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

"No,"  said  the  President.  "You  don't  want  me 
to  be  arrested  and  in  my  own  home  at  that?" 

"Have  I  the  right  to  vote  with  the  President?" 
continued  Mr.  Montant. 

"Yes,  if  you  vote  the  right  way!"  retorted  the 
President. 

President  Roosevelt  darted  into  the  booth,  and 
in  sixty  seconds  was  out  again.  He  spied  me  once 
more,  and  grasping  me  by  the  hand  pushed 
through  the  crowd  to  two  chairs  in  a  corner  near 
a  window,  where  we  became  seated.  Then  the 
President  of  the  United  States  and  the  country 
editor  engaged  in  a  prolonged  private  conversa 
tion,  the  nature  of  which  the  newspaper  represen 
tatives  were  eager  to  learn,  and  were  sore  because 
it  was  not  divulged. 

I  am  now  at  liberty  to  divulge  the  topic.  Among 
other  things,  the  President  discussed  the  affairs  of 
his  family  coachman.  The  coachman  who  had 
served  Mr.  Roosevelt  faithfully,  wanted  to  leave 
Sagamore  Hill  and  go  to  Washington,  but  the  Pres 
ident  preferred  to  have  him  remain  at  Oyster 
Bay. 

President  Roosevelt  asked  the  country  editor 
to  use  his  influence  in  an  endeavor  to  get  the  coach 
man  to  change  his  mind.  The  coachman  finally 
decided  he  ought  to  go  to  Washington,  and  rather 


PRESIDENT  91 

than  hurt  the  man's  feelings  Mr.  Roosevelt  ap 
pointed  him  to  a  position  in  the  White  House. 

One  important  incident  escaped  the  vigilant  eyes 
of  the  reporters.  Mr.  Roosevelt  slipped  to  me  an 
envelope  containing  a  sum  of  money.  Pinned  to  the 
bank  notes  in  the  envelope  was  an  item  clipped 
from  the  Oyster  Bay  Pilot,  reading  about  as  fol 
lows: 

If  the  readers  of  this  paper  know  of  any  indigent  persons 
or  families  in  this  community  deserving  of  assistance,  and 
will  so  inform  the  Pilot  a  way  will  he  provided  to  help 
them. 

The  item  was  inspired  through  overhearing  a 
poor  little  boy  praying  for  food  and  a  rocking- 
horse. 

If  the  members  of  a  once  unfortunate  Oyster 
Bay  family  are  living  they  will  now  know  that  the 
groceries,  coal  and  rent  money  provided  for  them 
came  through  funds  furnished  by  a  President  of 
the  United  States. 

It  may  also  be  stated  that  a  certain  lady  very 
close  to  the  Roosevelts,  sent  a  check  once  a  month, 
through  my  wife,  for  three  successive  years,  to  pay 
the  rent  of  a  poor  woman  residing  in  Oyster 
Bay. 


92  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

TN  RESPONSE  to  an  invitation,  President  Roose- 
*•  velt  one  day  addressed  a  Brotherhood  meeting 
in  St.  Paul's  M.  E.  Church  in  Oyster  Bay,  taking 
for  his  text,  "The  Bible."  Mr.  Roosevelt  appeared 
on  the  rostrum  attired  in  a  white  duck  suit,  it  be 
ing  an  exceptionally  hot  day,  but  he  was  full  of 
action  and  his  stirring  remarks  made  a  deep  im 
pression  upon  his  hearers,  the  congregation  being 
composed  of  people  of  all  denominations.  It  was 
said  that  "he  preached  just  like  a  Methodist  min 
ister."  During  his  "sermon,"  Mr.  Roosevelt  for 
cibly  remarked  that  a  man  who  failed  to  read  the 
Bible  didn't  have  common  sense. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  meeting,  President 
Roosevelt  requested  the  privilege  of  accompany 
ing  the  pastor,  the  Rev.  Warren  I.  Bowman,  to 
the  parsonage  next  door,  in  order  to  pay  his  re 
spects  to  Mrs.  Bowman. 

Master  Larned  Bowman,  son  of  the  pastor, 
aged  about  five  years,  said  very  earnestly  to  Mr. 
Roosevelt :  "We'd  like  to  have  you  stay  to  dinner." 

"Now,  that's  nice,"  said  the  President,  and 
asked:  "What  do  you  have  for  dinner?" 

"Bread  and  milk,"  responded  the  boy. 
"Fine!"  exclaimed  the  President,  and  added: 
"That's  just  what  we  have  at  our  house." 


PRESIDENT  93 

ONCE  I  was  asked  by  a  Republican  leader 
how  I  would  like  to  be  postmaster  at  Oys 
ter  Bay. 

"Never,"  I  replied,  "as  long  as  Miss  Annie 
Larrabee  has  breath  enough  left  in  her  body  to 
hold  down  the  job." 

Miss  Larrabee  had  been  postmistress  for  years, 
and  was  beloved  by  the  whole  community.  She 
was  one  of  the  finest  women  it  had  been  my  good 
fortune  to  meet,  being  always  gracious  and  oblig 
ing.  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  her  staunch  friend  up  to 
the  time  of  her  death,  which  occurred  after  he  left 
the  White  House.  He  joined  with  the  citizens  is 
securing  her  reappointment  during  President 
Taft's  term.  Miss  Larrabee  was  succeeded  by  Miss 
Irene  Bayles;  and  later,  former  State  Senator 
Thomas  H.  O'Keefe  was  appointed  postmaster  by 
President  Wilson. 

In  the  early  days  when  the  Oyster  Bay  post 
office  was  a  mere  "hole  in  the  wall,"  the  Pilot 
fought  for  a  new  building  and  succeeded  in  its 
efforts,  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Roosevelt,  Mr. 
Thomas  C.  Platt  and  former  Congressman  Frede 
rick  Storm — the  new  post  office  building  being 
erected  by  Mr.  James  Henry  Ludlam,  a  warm  per 
sonal  friend  of  Mr.  Roosevelt.  Mr.  O'Keefe  later 
erected  a  fine  post  office  building  on  Audrey  Ave. 


94  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

ID  ELOW  is  a  "sample  story,"  written  by  Lindsey 
U  Dennison,  a  reporter  for  the  New  York  Sun 
at  the  time.  It  shows  that  the  President's  neigh 
bors,  irrespective  of  politics,  joined  heartily  in  his 
receptions. 

PRESIDENT  HOME  TO  VOTE 

DEMOCRATS  AND  REPUBLICANS  UNITE  IN  ROUSING 
WELCOME. 

OYSTER  BAY,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  3. — The  President  came  home 
to-night.  All  this  side  of  Long  Island  has  reason  to  know  it. 
His  fellow  villagers  gave  him  a  reception  that  for  noise  and 
red  fire  and  general  preelection  evening  enthusiasm  has 
seldom  been  surpassed.  Telegrams  began  dropping  in  from 
Frank  C.  Travers  at  Long  Island  City  about  a  quarter  before 
5  o'clock  this  evening  to  Editor  A.  L.  Cheney  of  the  Oyster 
Bay  Pilot.  Mr.  Travers  is  a  Democrat  in  theory  but  a  Repub 
lican  in  practice.  He  talks  Democracy  until  election  day 
comes  around  and  then  he  votes  the  Republican  ticket  be 
cause  Mr.  Roosevelt  is  a  Republican.  This  was  his  first  de 
spatch  to  Mr.  Cheney : 

"President's  baggage  now  here.  Have  fireworks  arrived 
Oyster  Bay?" 

To  which  Mr.  Cheney  replied : 

"Fireworks  here.     When  does  the  President  arrive  here?" 

"Don't  know"  answered  Mr.  Travers,  "but  start  salute  at 
half  past  6." 

"What  about  salute?"  asked  Mr.  Cheney.  "Have  just 
enough  to  pay  band.  Who  will  pay  battery?" 

Mr.  Travers  was  apparently  warming  up  to  the  occasion 
in  Long  Island  City  for  this  last  inquiry  was  hardly  finished 
before  the  answer  came. 

"I'll  pay  for  battery  and  anything  else  you  can  think  of. 


PRESIDENT  95 

Hire  band  for  all  night.  Have  you  got  bonfire?  If  not,  get 
busy.  Get  busy  anyhow." 

Mr.  Cheney  was  already  as  busy  as  he  always  is  when 
there  is  any  compliment  to  be  paid  to  the  President  by  Oyster 
Bay. 

Ably  seconded  by  Maurice  Townsend,  who  is  a  Democrat 
like  Mr.  Travers  except  that  he  votes  the  ticket,  he  passed 
the  word  around  town.  Mr.  Townsend  was  guyed  by  his 
fellow  Democrats  but  he  said  that  he  guessed  the  President 
was  the  President  of  the  whole  United  States  and  the  Town- 
sends  were  prominent  enough  in  the  community  to  be  broad- 
minded  even  if  it  were  the  night  before  election. 

At  half  past  6  came  this  message  from  Mr.  Travers : 

"Train  leaving.  Let  her  go." 

When  the  train  rolled  into  the  station  it  was  indeed  ap 
parent  that  Mr.  Cheney  and  Mr.  Townsend  had  let  her  go. 
Both  political  parties  had  rallies  here  to-night.  The  bonfire 
lighted  the  great  crowd  with  a  flickering  yellow  light,  and 
red  fire  showed  its  glow  far  out  over  the  bay  to  Centre 
Island.  The  sky  was  streaked  with  the  glare  of  skyrockets 
and  Roman  candles.  The  anvil  battery  made  the  little 
railroad  station  jump  six  inches  in  the  air  once  every  two 
and  a  half  minutes. 

Great  was  the  racket.  When  the  President  stepped  from 
the  train  a  number  of  Federal  guards  tried  to  keep  the  crowd 
from  him.  The  President  pushed  them  to  one  side  and 
dove  into  the  mass  of  people,  shaking  hands  with  both  hands 
at  once,  laughing  long  and  loud  between  greetings  and 
hand-shakings.  He  made  his  way  across  the  station  to  a 
light  trap  from  Sagamore  Hill  which  was  waiting  for  him. 
The  horse  was  standing  on  its  hind  legs  with  two  well- 
meaning  but  helpless  townsmen  hanging  from  the  bridle. 


96  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

"Look  here,"  said  the  President,  surveying  the  beast's 
enthusiasm  with  doleful  appreciation,  "Mrs.  Roosevelt  is  to 
ride  in  that.  It  won't  do.  We'll  have  to  have  a  quieter 
horse." 

The  driver 'was  sure  that  the  horse  was  all  right.  Mrs. 
Roosevelt,  who  had  come  from  the  train  at  a  safe  distance 
behind  the  President,  said  that  she  was  certain  that  it  was 
safe.  So  they  got  in,  the  driver  yelled  "Let  go,"  and  in  a 
flash  they  went  out  of  sight  up  a  side  street. 


PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT'S  reception  to  his 
i  friends  and  neighbors  of  Nassau  County  at 
Oyster  Bay  on  September  15, 1902,  was  considered 
the  crowning  event  in  the  affairs  of  his  home  life. 
On  that  occasion  he  shook  hands  with  ten  thousand 
persons. 

At  Sagamore  Hill  Mrs.  Roosevelt  stood  near  the 
President,  bowing  and  smiling  as  her  neighbors 
passed  by.  The  President  and  Miss  Alice  Roose 
velt  were  in  front  of  the  bay  window  of  the  parlor. 
Surrounding  them  were  Mr.  William  Loeb,  Jr., 
Mr.  Gerard  Beekman,  the  Rev.  Father  Power,  the 
Rev.  Homer  H.  Washburn,  the  Rev.  Alexander  G. 
Russell,  Col.  William  J.  Youngs,  Mr.  A.  L.  Cheney, 
Mr.  Emlen  Roosevelt,  cousin  of  the  President ;  Mr. 
August  Montant,  Mrs.  Emlen  Roosevelt,  Miss 
Christine  Roosevelt,  Miss  Loraine  Roosevelt,  Miss 


PRESIDENT  97 

Ethel  Roosevelt,  and  Teddy,  Jr.,  each  assisting  the 
President  in  receiving. 

Teddy,  Jr.,  scanned  the  visitors  as  they  ap 
proached  his  father  with  as  much  vigilance  as  that 
shown  by  the  Secret  Service  men. 

A  buffet  lunch  was  one  of  the  features  of  the 
reception.  Each  visitor  received  ginger  wafers 
and  a  glass  of  red  lemonade  served  in  a  thin  sher 
bet  glass  cup,  given  as  a  souvenir,  on  which  was 
inscribed : 

PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT,  1902. 

An  elderly  lady  approached  the  President  with 
beaming  face,  and  attracted  his  immediate  at 
tention. 

"Well,  Maggie,  I  am  delighted  to  see  you,"  said 
the  President,  grasping  her  cordially  by  the  hand. 
It  was  Maggie  Mitchell,  who  had  been  a  servant  in 
the  President's  house  when  he  was  an  infant.  She 
wanted  to  see  Theodore  Roosevelt  now  that  he  was 
President. 

The  President  chatted  unreservedly  with  every 
body,  expressing  his  pleasure  at  meeting  so  many 
of  his  Nassau  County  friends.  Every  town  in  the 
county  was  represented  by  large  delegations,  in 
cluding  Huntington,  numbering  600;  Rockaway 


98  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

600 ;  Lawrence,  200 ;  Freeport,  1000,  Babylon,  500 ; 
Amityville,  450 ;  Cold  Spring,  500 ;  Farmingdale, 
300;  Roslyn,  300;  Hicksville,  250;  Syosset,  100; 
East  Norwich,  200 ;  Locust  Valley,  300 ;  Glen  Head, 
250;  Brookville,  100,  Bayville,  400;  and  even 
Woodbury  with  75.  Mineola  was  under  the  leader 
ship  of  Sheriff  Jerome  B.  Johnson;  Sea  Cliff  was 
headed  by  Mr.  Francis  E.  Sherwood;  Great  Neck 
by  Mr.  Elmer  Lecluse,  and  Hempstead  by  Mr. 
DeWitt  C.  Titus,  then  postmaster. 

Mr.  Maurice  E.  Townsend,  a  well  known  Oyster 
Bay  Democrat,  led  the  local  musicians  to  the  Presi 
dent's  house,  for  the  townspeople  had  joined  hands 
to  pay  the  President  tribute  in  a  strictly  non-par- 
tizan  spirit.  Even  the  grounds  of  Mr.  William 
F.  Sheehan,  former  Democratic  Lieutenant  Gover 
nor  of  New  York,  were  decorated. 

Head  usher  Stone  and  assistant  usher  Pusey,  of 
the  White  House,  participated  in  the  reception. 

Following  is  a  prominent  list  of  the  President's 
neighbors  wrho  had  the  honor  of  assisting  him  at 
the  reception.  Included  in  the  number  are  many 
summer  colonists  who  resided  near  President 
Roosevelt,  and  some  of  the  best  known  men  in  the 
country,  notably  Frederic  R.  Coudert,  a  lawyer 
of  international  repute. 


PRESIDENT 


99 


OFFICERS  : 


Frank  C.  Travers,  President 
James  L.  Long,  Secretary 
Gerard  Beekinan,  Treasurer 
EXECUTIVE 

W.  Emlen  Roosevelt,  Chair. 
The  Rev.  Henry  Washburn 
The  Rev.  Walter  J.  Power 
The  Rev.  Alexander  Russell 
The  Rev.  W.  I.  Bowman 
The  Rev.  Clarence  Van  Buren 
Jerome  B.  Johnson 
Townsend  D.  Cock 

E.  Morgan  Griffin 
Dr.  G.  W.  Faller 
Dr.  Irving  F.  Barnes 
William  Minor 

Geo.  Maxwell 
Frederic  R.  Coudert 
Frank  Lord 

F.  C.  Swan 
Colgate  Hoyt 

G.  W.  Beekman 

C.  W.  Wetmore 

E.  H.  Swan 
Geo.  M.  Fletcher 

F.  W.  Gibson 

D.  LeRoy  Dresser 
Wm.  L.  Swan 
Samuel  T.   Shaw 

E.  A.  Bigelow 
Geo.  R.  Shelton 


p]  Reeve  Merritt 
A.  P.  Montant 
W.  J.  Youngs 
COMMITTEE : 
E.  M.  Townsend,  Jr. 
Chas.  S.  Young 
George  Thompson 
Vincent  P.  Travers 
Thomas  S.  Young,  Jr. 
Camilles  Weidenfeldt 
H.  DeForest  Weekes 
Chas.  H.  Raymond 
William  H.  Burgess 
Charles  H.  Rogers 
Geo.   G.   Stowe 
J.  W,  Sears 
John  A.  Weekes 
H.  H.  Landon 
Arthur  D.  Weekes 
Frederick  Weekes 
William  Trotter 
John  T.  Sherman 
James  C.  Blair 
Frederick  D.  Sherman 
Wm.  F.  Sheehan 
R.  W.  Gibson 
Geo.  Bullock 
Frank  Work 
Irving  Cox 
Townsend  Underhill 
Beekman  H.  Townsend 


100  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

MRS.  HUMPHREY  WARD,  the  English  nove 
list,  gives  a  pen  picture  of  former  President 
Roosevelt  in  her  novel  ^Marriage  a  la  Mode."  She 
takes  her  characters  to  one  of  the  big  evening  re 
ceptions  at  the  White  House.  At  a  quiet  pause 
in  the  story,  just  before  a  violent  episode,  she  lin 
gers  a  moment  to  describe  the  reception : 

"Washington,  at  this  time  of  the  world's  his 
tory,  was  the  scene  of  one  of  those  episodes — 
those  brisker  moments  in  the  human  comedy — 
which  every  now  and  then  revive  among  us  an 
almost  forgotten  belief  in  personality,  an  almost 
forgotten  respect  for  the  mysteries  behind  it.  The 
guests  streaming  through  the  White  House  de 
filed  past  a  man  who,  in  the  level  and  docketed 
world,  appeared  to  his  generation  as  the  reincar 
nation  of  forces  primitive,  overmastering  and  he 
roic.  An  honest  Odysseus ! — toil  worn  and  storm- 
beaten,  yet  still  with  the  spirit  and  strength,  the 
many  devices  of  a  boy ;  capable,  Ike  his  prototype, 
in  one  short  day  of  crushing  his  enemies,  uphold 
ing  his  friends,  purifying  his  house;  and  then, 
with  the  heat  of  righteous  battle  still  upon  him, 
with  its  gore,  so  to  speak,  still  upon  his  hands,  of 
turning  his  mind,  without  a  pause  and  without 
hypocrisy,  to  things  intimate  and  soft  and  pure — 
the  domestic  sweetness  of  Penelope,  the  young 


PRESIDENT  101 

promise  of  Telemachus.  The  President  stood,  a 
rugged  figure,  among  the  cosmopolitan  crowd, 
breasting  the  modern  world,  like  some  ocean  head 
land,  yet  not  truly  of  it ;  one  of  the  great  fighters 
and  workers  of  mankind,  with  a  laugh  that  pealed 
above  the  noise,  blue  eyes  that  seem  to  pursue 
some  converse  of  their  own,  and  a  hand  that 
grasped  and  cheered,  where  other  hands  withdrew 
and  repelled.  This  one  man's  will  had  now  for 
some  years  made  the  pivot  on  which  vast  issues 
turned — issues  of  peace  and  war,  of  policy  em 
bracing  the  civilized  world ;  and  here,  one  saw  him 
in  drawing-rooms,  discussing  Alaric's  campaigns 
with  an  Oxford  professor,  or  chatting  with  a 
young  mother  about  her  children." 


Through  Boy's  Life  I  wish  to  send  this  message, 
not  only  to  the  Boy  Scouts,  but  to  all  boys  of 
America :  The  prime  lesson  that  the  Boy  Scouts 
movement  is  teaching  is  the  lesson  that  manliness 
in  its  most  vigorous  form  can  be  and  ought  to  be 
accompanied  by  unselfish  consideration  for  the 
rights  and  interests  of  others. — Theodore  Roose 
velt. 


102  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

A  T  ONE  of  Mr.  Roosevelt's  receptions  two 
**>  members  of  a  receiving  committee 
possessed  rather  old-fashioned  ideas  as  to  conven 
tional  dress  and  they  appeared  in  plain  business 
suits.  The  other  members  of  the  committee  were 
dressed  in  Prince  Albert  coats  and  wore  silk  hats. 
The  contrast  was  so  startling  that  when  the  two 
business  men,  arm  in  arm,  approached  the  Presi 
dent,  he  raised  his  hand  and  shouted : 
"Here  come  the  aristocrats!" 


TJIGHT  years  of  almost  daily  contact  with  Presi- 
*-"  dent  Roosevelt  in  his  home  at  Oyster  Bay 
and  his  office  in  Washington,  certainly  qualifies  a 
man  to  speak  understandingly  and  truthfully  of 
Mr.  Roosevelt's  habits  and  character.  Such  a  man 
is  Mr.  William  B.  Dulany,  a  Washingtonian,  for 
many  years  an  attache  of  the  White  House — two 
years  under  President  William  McKinley,  and 
eight  years  with  President  Roosevelt. 

Mr.  Dulany  always  accompanied  Mr.  Roosevelt 
in  a  confidential  capacity  when  he  made  presiden 
tial  trips  to  different  sections  of  the  United  States, 
and  had  absolute  charge  of  Mr.  Roosevelt's  letters 
and  State  papers.  At  times  he  even  carried  the 
President's  private  purse. 


PRESIDENT  103 

One  day  a  prominent  visitor  hesitated  to  talk 
to  Mr.  Roosevelt  about  private  matters  in  the  pres 
ence  of  Mr.  Dulany,  when  the  President  quickly 
turned  to  the  man  and  said : 

"0,  that's  all  right.  There  is  not  a  member  of 
my  cabinet  that  I  have  more  confidence  in  than  I 
have  in  Mr.  Dulany." 

Mr.  Dulany  declares  that  he  never  heard  Presi 
dent  Roosevelt  use  a  profane  word,  nor  relate  a 
story  that  could  not  be  repeated  in  a  drawing- 
room  in  the  presence  of  ladies ;  that  Mr.  Roosevelt 
was  always  good-natured  and  jovial,  treating 
every  member  of  the  presidential  party  very  cor 
dially  at  all  times.  He  also  declares  that  Mr. 
Roosevelt  never  used  intoxicating  liquors  in  any 
form,  and  Mr.  Dulany  made  a  strong  affidavit  to 
that  effect  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Roosevelt's  famous 
libel  suit. 


story  charging  Mr.  Roosevelt  with  being  a 
hard  drinker  was  absurd.  Untruthful  things 
wrere  said  of  him  in  the  same  spirit  that  gossip  is 
retailed  about  other  Presidents  of  the  United 
States.  Only  recently  I  overheard  a  man  say,  in 
a  public  place :  "Roosevelt  was  always  in  the  habit 
of  swearing  like  a  trooper." 


104  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Contrast  that  man's  statement  with  the  testi 
mony  given  by  Mr.  Dulany,  and  with  the  statement 
made  by  Mrs.  Clinton  in  her  story  in  the  Ladies' 
Home  Journal.  During  the  time  that  Mrs.  Clinton 
was  at  Sagamore  Hill  she  never  saw  even  wine 
served  at  the  family  table,  or  any  intoxicating 
beverages  brought  into  the  Roosevelt  household.  I 
certainly  never  discovered  any  signs  of  liquor 
about  Mr.  Roosevelt,  and  made  an  affidavit  to  that 
effect  at  the  time  of  the  famous  libel  suit.  Later 
I  received  the  following  letter  from  him,  which 
shows  how  he  appreciated  the  way  his  many 
friends  stood  by  him  so  loyally. 

THE  OUTLOOK, 

287  FOURTH  AVE.  NEW  YORK, 

OFFICE   OF  June  5,  1913. 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

My  Dear  Mr.  Cheney  : 

One  of  the  things  which  touched  me  most  in  connection 
with  the  recent  libel  suit  was  the  way  in  which  my  friends 
stood  by  and  supported  me.  I  was  more  pleased  than  I  can 
say  to  get  the  deposition  which  you  made  and  handed  it 
immediately  to  my  lawyer.  Fortunately  it  was  not  necessary 
for  us  to  produce  all  our  evidence,  as  before  this  time  came 
the  defendant  retracted  the  charge  and  a  verdict  was  re 
turned  in  my  favor. 

Faithfully  yours, 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 


PRESIDENT  105 

WHEN  President  Roosevelt  returned  from 
his  Western  trip  June  27th,  1903,  he  was 
given  a  rousing  reception  by  his  neighbors.  The 
following  report  of  the  lively  affair  was  published 
in  the  New  York  Tribune,  of  June  28th,  1903.  It 
clearly  shows  the  deep  affection  in  which  Mr. 
Roosevelt  was  always  held  by  his  neighbors,  and 
also  the  President's  responsive  attitude  toward 
his  neighbors  which  was  manifested  in  every 
word  of  his  heartfelt  speeech. 

Oyster  Bay,  N.  Y.,  June  27. — Bronzed  and  ruddy  from  his 
recent  Western  Trip  President  Roosevelt  reached  here  to 
day  by  special  train  from  Long  Island  City.  With  him 
were  Secretary  Loeb,  and  Mr.  Frank  C.  Travers,  vice-presi 
dent  of  the  Oyster  Bay  Board  of  Trade. 

Time  and  again,  as  the  hour  for  the  arrival  of  the  train 
approached  the  detonation  of  ex-Assemblyman  Maurice  E. 
Townsend's  anvil  salutes  defied  the  lazy  calm  of  the  after 
noon. 

So  dense  and  so  agitated  became  the  throng  on  the  plat 
form  that  the  Presidential  party  had  literally  to  fight  its 
way  across  the  platform  to  the  roadway  to  join  the  pro 
cession.  The  President  was  welcomed  by  E.  Morgan  Griffin, 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  on  behalf  of  the  people  of 
Oyster  Bay.  The  President,  on  foot,  was  then  escorted 
up  Audrey -a  ve.  to  the  Town  Clerk's  office. 

The  special  committee  of  the  Board  of  Trade  led  the 
procession,  followed  by  Julius  Blum,  the  marshal,  and  his 
aid,  Daniel  Smith.  Then  came  the  members  of  the  Board 


106  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

of  Education,  led  by  its  President,  A.  L.  Cheney.  These 
were  followed  by  the  scholars  of  Cove  School,  which  the 
President's  children  have  attended  in  charge  of  Miss  Sarah 
A.  Provost,  the  principal.  The  pupils  of  the  Oyster  Bay 
School,  with  other  visitors  and  residents  brought  up  the  rear, 
two  bands  accompanying  the  procession.  All  the  pupils 
flourished  miniature  flags,  most  of  the  little  girls  being  at 
tired  in  white  and  many  of  them  bearing  garlands. 

When  the  President  arrived  at  the  Town  Clerk's  office 
Mrs.  Roosevelt  and  Theodore,  jr.,  Ethel,  Kermit,  Archie  and 
Quentin  Roosevelt  were  already  awaiting  him  on  the  steps. 
Mrs.  Roosevelt  had  previously,  from  the  terrace  of  Christ 
Episcopal  Church,  reviewed  the  parade  of  the  school  children 
as  they  passed  from  the  Oyster  Bay  school  to  the  railroad 
station  to  greet  the  President.  The  welcoming  committee 
had  also  acted  as  an  escort  to  her  own  party,  which  included 
Mrs.  J.  West  Roosevelt.  Having  joined  Mrs.  Roosevelt  at  the 
Town  Clerk's  office,  the  President  proceeded  to  unveil  the 
thirty-pound  cannon  which  is  a  trophy  of  the  Civil  WTar, 
obtained  from  the  Navy  Department  by  Jerome  B.  Johnson, 
the  Sheriff  of  Nassau  County.  Mounting  the  steps  of  the 
Town  Clerk's  office  and  holding  his  silk  hat  in  his  left 
hand,  a  favorite  attitude,  the  President  then  spoke  as 
follows : 

My  friends  and  neighbors,  I  thank  you  heartily — more 
heartily  than  I  can  express — for  your  coming  out  to  greet 
me  to-day.  I  wonder  if  some  of  you  remember  and  I  shall 
never  forget,  the  way  that  you  came  out  to  greet  me  about 
five  years  ago,  when  I  got  back  from  Santiago.  Since  I  last 
saw  you  I  have  been  across  the  continent.  I  have  travelled 
from  this  shore  across  the  Alleghanies,  across  the  Missis 
sippi  Valley  to  the  side  of  the  Great  Lakes  and  over  the 
Rocky  Mountains  to  the  shore  of  the  Pacific,  and  the  thing 
that  has  struck  me  most  in  that  journey  of  nearly  fifteen 


PRESIDENT  107 


thousand  miles  right  across  the  continent  has  been  the  es 
sential  unity  of  our  people.  Wherever  an  American  Presi 
dent  goes  in  the  United  States  he  feels  himself  to  be  at 
home  and  among  those  who  feel  as  he  does,  and  who  have 
the  same  ideals  to  which  he  can  appeal. 

Now  I  am  coming  back  to  you  whom  I  know  so  well.  The 
older  among  you  I  have  known  some  thirty  years.  My 
children  are  now  growing  up  and  I  hope  that  they  will  do 
better  than  I  in  keeping  out  of  mischief.  Naturally,  it 
pleases  me  greatly  to  have  you  show  me  the  feeling  that  you 
have  shown  this  afternoon,  and  which  you  have  given  evi 
dence  of,  too,  so  often  before.  When  I  get  back  here  I  am  not 
the  President ;  I  am  your  old  neighbor  and  friend. 

In  welcoming  you  all,  I  want  to  say  that  I  am  particularly 
pleased  to  see  and  hear  the  children.  You  know,  I  believe 
in  children,  and  I  am  mighty  glad  that  the  children  of  Oyster 
Bay  seem  to  be  all  right  in  quality  and  also  in  quantity. 

Now  I  shall  not  make  a  speech  to  you,  but  shall  just  say 
again  my  friends  and  my  neighbors,  and  those  with  whom 
I  have  lived  so  long  and  wrhom  I  know  so  well,  and  to  whom 
I  am  knit  by  such  close  ties,  I  thank  you  from  my  heart,  and 
I  am  deeply  touched  by  your  greeting  this  afternoon. 

After  the  President  finished  his  speech  he  reentered  the 
building  and  held  an  informal  reception  receiving  the  mem 
bers  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  shaking  hands  with  each 
member.  In  the  course  of  the  reception  the  children  in  front 
of  the  hall  sang  "God  Save  Our  President." 

The  trophy  cannon  unveiled  by  the  President  bears  a  tablet 
upon  which  is  inscribed  : 

Civil  War  Trophy  Gun  from  United  States  Battleship 
Cuyler  1861,  Presented  to  the  Town  of  Oyster  Bay  by  U.  S. 
Government  and  Unveiled  by  Theodore  Roosevelt,  President 
of  the  United  States,  June  27,  1903. 


108  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

HPHAT  Theodore  Roosevelt  sincerely  believed  in 
•*•      giving  every  man  a  square  deal  is  conclu 
sively  shown  in  the  letter  following  the  newspaper 
article  printed  below  (italics  mine). 

The  article  is  reproduced  to  explain  the  situa 
tion  leading  to  the  letter  from  Mr.  Loeb,  and  also 
to  show  that  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  I  had 
strong  backing  and  was  regarded  as  qualified  to 
fill  the  position,  and  besides  was  a  neighbor  of  the 
President,  he  was  still  determined  to  square  his 
actions  in  the  case  with  his  public  utterances. 

Mr.  Roosevelt  explained  to  me  at  the  White 
House  why  it  had  been  impossible  to  appoint  me 
Public  Printer  as  desired  by  my  friends. 

(From  "Newspaperdom"  II.  Craig  Dare,  Editor:  New 
York,  February  13,  1908.) 

The  question  of  Public  Printer  has  again  been  brought 
to  the  surface,  and  the  candidacy  of  Albert  L.  Cheney,  an  old 
well  and  favorably  known  editor  and  publisher,  is  advocated 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  has  refused  to  permit  his 
name  to  be  used  as  a  "possibility." 

Mr.  Cheney  is  known  in  publishing  and  printing  circles 
as  far  away  as  California.  He  has  hundreds  of  friends 
among  publishers,  men  who  have  known  and  admired  him 
for  years  because  of  his  ability  and  his  conservative  but 
progressive  ideas.  .  .  . 

He  knows  the  printing  business  in  all  its  intricacies; 
knows  how  to  use  and  govern  men — knows,  in  fact,  every 


PRESIDENT  109 

detail  that  enters  into  the  conduct  of  a  great  printing  in 
dustry. 

There  isn't  an  unfair  or  arbitrary  bone  in  his  body.  He 
believes  in  American  principles  and  American  workmen. 
He  believes  in  honesty  in  all  matters, — business,  political  and 
otherwise.  He  is  an  employer  of  men  and  in  his  day  has 
worked  among  them.  He  believes  in  decent  wages  to  com 
petent  men, — believes  both  workmen  and  employers  have 
rights  that  should  be  respected.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Brooklyn  Union,  and  later  of  "Big  Six,"  when  the  former 
was  amalgamated  with  the  latter. 

Mr.  Cheney  is  a  man  of  ideas  and  possesses  an  admirable 
courage.  Unbiased  in  opinion,  he  is  a  man  of  the  right  sort 
of  characteristics  to  make  a  success  in  the  position,  and 
Uewspaperdom  joins  Mr.  Cheney's  friends  in  a  prayer  to 
the  President  that  his  candidacy  be  seriously  considered. 


THE  WHITE  HOUSE, 

WASHINGTON, 

FEBRUARY,  11,  1908. 
My  dear  Mr.  Cheney : 

I  am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  6th  instant.  The 
President  has  not  yet  decided  to  make  any  change  in  Public 
Printer.  He  is  under  investigation  and  the  result  of  the 
investigation  will  determine  whether  a  new  man  will  be 
appointed.  The  President  feels  that  if  the  man  whom  he 
has  placed  temporarily  in  charge  of  the  office  makes  good 
that  he  would  have  the  call  on  the  place.  All  the  other 
places  there  are  civil  service  appointments ;  but  if  the  Presi 
dent  finds  that  it  is  possible  to  place  you  there  in  any 
capacity  it  of  course  will  be  a  pleasure  to  him  to  appoint 


1 10  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

you.     lou  of  course  know  if  I  can  be  of  any  help  to  you  I 
shall  only  be  too  glad  to  do  what  I  can. 
With  regards,  believe  me, 

Sincerely  yours, 

WM.  LOEB,  Jr., 
Secretary  to  the  President. 


FATHER  YORK  of  Huntington,  just  over  the 
line  from  Sagamore  Hill,  and  Father  John 
L.  Bellford,  formerly  pastor  of  St.  Dominic's 
Church  at  Oyster  Bay,  were  prime  favorites  of 
President  Roosevelt,  and  he  enjoyed  their  company 
immensely.  Father  York  often  dropped  over  to 
see  "Neighbor  Roosevelt,"  and  he  always  had  a 
number  of  good  stories  to  tell  the  President.  Fath 
er  Bellford  entered  into  the  local  affairs  of  Oyster 
Bay  with  great  zest,  and  was  always  a  welcome 
guest  at  Sagamore  Hill,  or  at  the  White  House. 


PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT'S  daily  visiting  list 
-L  did  not  always  contain  the  name  of  every 
person  that  called  at  Sagamore  Hill.  For  instance, 
a  special  audience,  without  any  allotted  time, 
would  be  granted  to  a  skipper  like  Captain  Joshua 
Slocum,  who  sailed  around  the  world  in 
a  small  boat  called  the  "Spray."  Mr.  Roosevelt  was 
deeply  interested  in  daring  feats  of  this  kind,  and 


PRESIDENT  111 

took  great  delight  in  listening  to  adventures  spiced 
with  danger. 

Newspaper  editors  were  continually  granted 
private  audiences  with  Mr.  Roosevelt,  for  he  found 
these  interviews  excellent  channels  through  which 
to  keep  in  direct  and  constant  touch  with  the  pulse 
of  the  people. 


MR.  WILLIAM  PRICE,  a  pioneer  Washing 
ton  newspaper  man,  who  writes  under  the 
pen-name  of  "Bill  Price"  for  the  Washington 
Times,  has  a  record  of  twenty  years  at  the  White 
House,  most  of  the  time  representing  the  Wash 
ington  Star.  What  he  can  tell  about  Presidents 
and  prominent  officials,  especially  about  Theodore 
Roosevelt,  when  Roosevelt  was  in  the  White 
House,  would  make  a  library  in  itself. 

Writing  of  Mr.  Roosevelt  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  Mr.  Price  said,  among  other  interesting 
things : 

I  spent  seven  and  a-half  years  with  him  at  the  White 
House  being  on  newspaper  duty  there  every  day  through 
out  his  office  hours.  I  traveled  in  many  parts  of  the  country 
with  him.  To  me  he  was  the  personification  of  volcanic 
energy,  even  to  the  similarity  that  nobody  ever  knew  when 
or  where  he  would  "break  out." 

He  walked  the  "legs  off"  some  of  his  admirers  in  long  and 
wearisome  walks.  He  put  others  out  of  business  by  long 


112  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

horseback  rides.  He  boxed  with  dexterity  with  Mike  Dono 
van  or  anybody  else;  wrestled  with  Muldoon  and  famous 
Japanese  wrestlers ;  played  many  of  his  friends  into  physical 
submission  in  tennis ;  hunted  bear  in  Louisiana  and  Missis 
sippi  swamps ;  wolves  in  Oklahoma ;  mountain  lions  in 
Colorado,  and  turkeys  in  Virginia.  Below  wild  turkeys  he 
stopped. 


Mr.  Patrick  McKenna,  who  resided  on  Centre 
Island,  near  Sagamore  Hill,  was  appointed  to  a 
position  in  the  White  House  in  1902,  and  is  still 
a  member  of  the  executive  force.  When  President 
Roosevelt  left  the  White  House  he  personally 
handed  to  Mr.  McKenna  a  letter  of  recommenda 
tion  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy : 

THE  WHITE  HOUSE, 

WASHINGTON, 

MARCH  3,  1909. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concern: 

P.  E.  McKenna  has  served  me  for  five  years  as  assistant 
door-keeper  at  the  White  House.  He  is  absolutely  honest, 
always  willing  and  obliging.  I  trust  him  entirely  and  should 
certainly  have  kept  him  if  I  were  going  to  continue  as 
President. 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT. 


PRESIDENT  113 

AS  PROOF  of  the  prosperity  resulting,  in  a 
measure,  from  the  Roosevelt  boom,  may  be 
mentioned  the  progress  made  by  Mr.  Andrew 
Snouder,  an  Oyster  Bay  druggist,  who  has  ac 
quired  a  whole  block  of  buildings  within  the  past 
fifteen  years,  and  recently  purchased  the  very 
desirable  hotel  property  adjoining  said  block. 

Another  instance  may  be  cited  concerning  the 
late  James  Moore,  who  conducted  the  grocery 
store  over  which  the  summer  executive  offices  were 
located.  Mr.  Moore  reaped  a  rich  harvest  in  trade 
and  rent  during  the  Roosevelt  regime,  and  his 
name  and  store  became  famous  the  country  over. 

Property  values  were  largely  enhanced  in 
Oyster  Bay  and  the  nearby  places  owing  to  the 
prominence  given  the  town  by  Mr.  Roosevelt. 
Many  farms  bought  at  fancy  prices,  were  con 
verted  into  country  seats.  This  was  particularly 
true  of  property  adjacent  to  Sagamore  Hill.  What 
is  known  as  Cooper's  Bluff  was  purchased  at  a 
big  price,  and  a  short  time  after  was  resold  for 
double  the  amount.  And  hereby  hangs  a  very  in 
teresting  tale. 

A  far-sighted  contractor  bought  Cooper's  Bluff 
near  Sagamore  Hill  for  the  alleged  purpose  of 
opening  up  a  sand  industry.  Oyster  Bay  is  a 


114  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

strictly  residential  town-  The  writer  was  duly 
"tipped  off,"  when  he  first  commenced  editing  the 
Oyster  Bay  Pilot,  being  advised  to  cut  out  all 
references  to  Oyster  Bay  as  a  factory  town.  Con 
sequently  when  the  purchaser  of  Cooper's  Bluff 
started  in  to  cart  machinery  through  the  streets 
of  the  village,  and  erect  shanties  on  the  property 
which  was  near  the  President's  place,  and  adjoined 
other  big  country  estates,  the  summer  colonists 
and  Oyster  Bay  residents  generally  were  aroused 
to  action.  Public  meetings  were  held  for  the  pur 
pose  of  devising  ways  and  means  to  head  off  the 
objectionable  sand  industry. 

The  agitation  finally  resulted  in  the  wealthy 
residents  forming  a  pool  and  buying  the  property 
at  a  big  price  named  by  the  owner. 


WHEN  fire  destroyed  two  houses  owned  by 
Oyster  Bay  citizens,  Mr.  Roosevelt,  learn 
ing  of  their  misfortune,  sent  for  his  two  neigh 
bors,  and  offered  to  advance  the  money  to  rebuild 
their  homes.  The  offer  was  accepted.  Mr.  Roose 
velt  never  charged  the  men  a  cent  interest,  and  told 
them  to  take  their  time  about  paying  it  back. 

Because  President  Roosevelt  did  not  place  an 
office-holder  in  every  other  house  in  Oyster  Bay, 


PRESIDENT  115 

some  of  the  disgruntled  politicians  said  that  he 
never  did  much  for  his  town  and  county,  but  I 
happen  to  know  that  Mr.  Roosevelt  helped  more 
people  in  his  home  town  than  the  public  will  ever 
know  about.  Letters  requesting  assistance  were 
generally  sent  to  me  for  investigation.  Here  is  a 
sample  of  one  out  of  many; — all  names  being 
purposely  omitted : 

THE  WHITE  HOUSE, 

WASHINGTON, 

JANUARY  19,  1904. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Cheney  : 

The  enclosed  letter  from in  reference  to 

explains  itself.  The  President  does  not  recall very 

clearly  and  has  therefore  requested  me  to  refer  the  letter 
to  you  and  see  if  you  will  not  communicate  with  the  writer 

any  facts  you  know  in  reference  to 

Thanking  you  for  your  kind  attention  to  this  matter, 
I  am 

Sincerely  yours, 

WM.    LOEB,    Jr., 
Secretary  to  the  President. 

No  matter  what  the  nature  of  the  appeal  might 
be,  President  Roosevelt  always  responded,  if  the 
parties  were  deserving. 


116  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

WHEN  Oyster  Bay  became  the  summer  capi 
tal  of  the  nation,  and  thus  was  linked  to 
the  National  capital,  it  did  not,  figuratively  speak 
ing,  thumb  its  vest  holes,  and  strut  around  like 
a  pouter  pigeon,  but  took  its  honors  philosophically 
and  naturally,  being  not  at  all  disturbed  by  the  fun 
often  made  at  its  expense  by  the  newspaper  report 
ers.  Nevertheless  it  thoroughly  appreciated  the 
great  distinction  brought  to  it  by  President  Roose 
velt. 

Oyster  Bayites  do  not  enthuse  easily,  but  when 
once  aroused,  no  community  in  the  country  can 
outdo  its  citizens  when  it  comes  to  public  demon 
strations  or  acts  of  charity.  Public  spirited  men 
have  taken  advantage  of  the  boom  long  enjoyed 
by  the  town,  which  has  resulted  in  the  erection  of 
many  fine  buildings.  The  village  has  also  been 
greatly  improved  in  appearance,  and  now  assumes 
a  metropolitan  air. 

Another  big  impetus  will  be  given  to  Oyster 
Bay  when  the  million  dollar  Roosevelt  Memorial 
Park  is  established  on  the  picturesque  shores  of 
the  bay.  The  citizens  fully  realize  what  this  move 
ment  means  to  the  town,  and  will  successfully  meet 
whatever  demands  may  be  made  upon  them  to 
carry  out  their  part  of  the  program. 

The  people  of  the  community  at  the  present  time 


PRESIDENT  117 

hospitably  welcome  the  large  influx  of  strangers 
arriving  daily  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  grave 
of  Theodore  Roosevelt. 


THE  ROOSEVELT  MEMORIAL  ASSOCIA 
TION  was  formed  to  conduct  a  campaign  for 
the  purpose  of  collecting  a  fund  of  $5,000,000  dur 
ing  the  week  of  October  20th  to  27th,  1919. 

The  plans  include  a  monument  at  Wash 
ington,  D.  C.,  and  the  establishment  of  a 
Public  Memorial  Park  at  Oyster  Bay.  The  Roose 
velt  home,  with  its  contents,  at  Sagamore  Hill  may 
be  secured  eventually,  thus  preserving  it  as  a 
National  shrine  similar  to  Mount  Vernon  and  the 
Lincoln  home  at  Springfield,  Illinois. 

The  executive  committee  of  the  Association  con 
sists  of  the  following  widely-known  men:  Col. 
Wiliam  Boyce  Thompson,  chairman;  Joseph  W. 
Alsop,  John  S.  Cravens,  Will  H.  Hays,  Irwin  R. 
Kirkwood,  William  Loeb,  Jr.,  Henry  J.  Whigham, 
Albert  H.  Wiggin,  Horace  Wilkinson,  William 
Wigby,  Jr.,  and  Henry  L.  Simpson. 

Mr.  Electus  D.  Litchfield,  the  well-known  archi 
tect,  who  designed  the  New  York  City  library, 
has  been  engaged  by  the  Memorial  Committee  to 
prepare  sketches  and  plans  for  the  proposed 
Roosevelt  Park. 


118  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

THE  AMERICAN  LEGION 

UENTIN  ROOSEVELT  POST,  American  Le- 
gion,  the  national  organization  of  Ameri 
can  veterans  of  the  Great  War,  has  been  organized 
at  Oyster  Bay. 

The  charter  bears  the  signatures  of  the  following 
Oyster  Bay  soldier  boys,  who  made  application 
for  the  new  post;  Fred.  B.  Bedell,  Homer  K. 
Cooley,  Charles  R.  DeVoe,  Rodman  Gilder,  Frank 
B.  Loving,  Jr.,  Merino  Lustornic,  John  M.  McGarr, 
Charles  Miller,  William  H.  Moran,  William  Par 
ker,  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Edwin  J.  Ryan,  Jr.,  F.  E. 
Tagliabue,  Arthur  Valentine,  Alfred  M.  Wright, 
and  Leonard  S.  Wright.  Other  soldier  boys  in 
terested  in  the  Post  are :  D.  A.  Phipps,  George  S. 
Hornblower,  Cecil  R.  Wilson,  Richard  P.  McCoun, 
Kermit  Roosevelt,  and  Dr.  Richard  Derby. 

One  purpose  of  the  American  Legion  is  ex 
plained  in  a  resolution  adopted  by  the  National 
Executive  Committee.  The  resolution  was  pre 
pared  by  Bishop  Charles  H.  Brent  of  Buffalo,  N. 
Y.,  formerly  senior  chaplain  of  the  American  Ex 
peditionary  Forces;  Henry  Leonard  of  Colorado, 
and  Dr.  Richard  Derby  of  New  York.  It  reads 
as  follows : 

Resolved :  That  The  American  Legion  in  accordance  with 
its  announced  principles  as  expressed  in  the  Preamble  of 


PRESIDENT  119 

its  Constitution  and  in  the  resolutions  adopted  by  it  in 
caucus  assembled,  stands  squarely  against  violation  or  threat 
of  violation  of  law  and  order,  whether  by  individuals  or  ag 
gregations  of  individuals ;  that  it  advocates,  and  urges  upon 
its  membership  to  advocate,  the  imposition  of  full  penalties 
upon  violators  of  the  Espionage  Act ;  that  it  is  immutably 
opposed  to  and  urges  its  membership  to  oppose,  the  ad 
mission  to  the  national  legislative  body  or  to  any  other 
public  office,  of  persons  of  doubtful  loyalty,  and  more  es 
pecially  of  those  whose  disloyalty  has  been  judicially  de 
termined. 

More  than  three  thousand  posts  have  been  or 
ganized  at  this  writing. 

Quentin  Roosevelt  was  among  the  first  of  the 
Oyster  Bay  boys  to  enlist  in  the  War,  and  the 
first  to  meet  his  death. 


When  the  President  learned  that  my  oldest 
daughter  was  to  be  married,  he  told  me  to  have  her 
call  at  the  White  House  with  her  fiance  and  mem 
bers  of  the  family.  We  were  cordially  received  in 
the  Green  Room.  Drawing  a  chair  up  to  the 
group,  the  President  conversed  in  the  most  delight 
ful  manner  for  half  an  hour,  referring  to  what  he 
termed  the  "Battle  of  the  Letters  at  Sagamore 
Hill."  He  ordered  flowers  sent  from  the  White 
House  conservatories  to  the  church,  for  the  wed 
ding  ceremony. 


120  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Eight  years  after  Col.  Roosevelt  left  the  White 
House  he  was  called  to  Washington  concerning 
important  public  business.  He  was  due  to  leave 
the  capital  about  noon.  Being  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  railroad  station,  I  hastened  through  the  gates 
at  the  Union  Station  just  as  the  train  was  about 
to  start.  Mr.  William  Hoster  of  the  New  York 
American  was  standing  on  the  platform  and  I 
approached  him  and  expressed  regrets  at  not 
being  able  to  meet  Col.  Roosevelt.  Although  the 
train  was  ready  to  move,  the  former  President 
chanced  to  see  me  through  the  car  window,  and 
leaving  the  delayed  train  stepped  down  to  the 
platform  and  greeted  most  cordially  an  old  Oyster 
Bay  neighbor  who  occupied  a  humble  position  in 
the  District  Building.  He  was  the  same  impulsive 
Roosevelt. 


PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT  had  full  con 
fidence  in  the  people  employed  in  the  execu 
tive  offices.  Once  he  was  conversing  privately 
with  the  late  Whitelaw  Reid,  when  an  executive 
clerk  entered.  Mr.  Reid  ceased  talking.  Turning 
to  Mr.  Reid  the  President  said : 

"Keep  right  on.    We  work  automatically  here." 


PRESIDENT  121 

EAST  NORWICH,  a  picturesque  little  village 
adjacent  to  Oyster  Bay,  was  almost  daily 
favored  by  the  presence  of  Colonel  Roosevelt  and 
members  of  his  family  who  passed  through  the 
place  on  horseback.  Col.  Roosevelt  always 
greeted  the  residents  in  a  very  friendly  manner. 
It  was  President  Roosevelt's  request  that 
the  arrangements  for  his  funeral  should  be  placed 
in  charge  of  Mr.  Wilbur  Johnson,  the  undertaker 
at  East  Norwich,  and  his  wishes  were  carried  out 
after  he  died. 

Mr.  Halstead  H.  Frost,  editor  and  owner  of  the 
East  Norwich  Enterprise,  has  always  been  an 
avowed  Roosevelt  man,  and  took  an  active  part 
in  all  public  functions  at  Oyster  Bay. 


President  Wilson  went  to  Europe  to  assist  in 
giving  all  peoples  a  "square  deal" ;  our  boys  went 
over  seas  and  shed  their  life-blood  in  order  that 
all  nations  might  have  a  "square  deal,"  and  now  it 
is  up  to  the  peoples  of  the  earth  to  use  "horse 
sense,"  by  getting  together  and  resolving  to  give 
each  other  "a  square  deal." 


122  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

SONGS  AND  TEARS 

Demonstrations  of  Regard  When  President  Left 

Oyster  Bay 
(From  the  New  York  Tribune,  Oct.  1,  1905.) 

Oyster  Bay,  Sept  30. — President  Roosevelt  had  tears  in 
his  eyes  while  he  thanked  his  neighbors  who  had  gathered 
at  the  railroad  station  here  this  morning  to  bid  him  farewell 
on  his  return  to  Washington.  On  no  previous  occasion  had 
he  shown  such  signs  of  emotion.  He  told  the  villagers  that 
he  appreciated  their  demonstrations  of  friendship  on  this 
and  other  occasions  more  than  he  could  possibly  express,  and 
that  they  have  been  very  helpful  to  him. 

The  whole  village  was  decorated  in  honor  of  the  President, 
the  decorations  being  especially  lavish  in  East  Main-st, 
Audrey-ave.  and  the  road  leading  to  the  village  from 
Sagamore  Hill.  The  decoration  at  the  station,  over  the  main 
entrance  consisted  of  a  large  shield  formed  of  an  American 
flag,  on  either  side  of  which  were  a  Japanese  and  Russian 
flag.  Surmounting  the  shield  was  a  white  dove  bearing  in 
its  mouth  an  olive  branch.  A  passageway  had  been  roped 
off  through  which  the  President  and  his  family  passed  from 
the  carriage  to  the  train. 

On  either  side  of  the  ropes  were  ranged  twenty  young 
women,  who  constitute  the  Roosevelt  Club.  They  were 
dressed  in  white  and  each  wore  a  red  white  and  blue  badge 
with  a  long  streamer.  All  the  choirs  and  all  the  school 
children  of  the  village  were  there  and  each  had  a  leaflet  on 
which  was  printed,  "Farewell  to  Our  Neighbor,  President 
Roosevelt,"  and  underneath  the  words  of  the  hymn,  "God 
Be  with  You  Till  We  Meet  Again."  The  choirs  and  children 
sang  the  hymn  as  the  President  boarded  the  train. 


PRESIDENT  123 

The  President  stood  on  the  platform  of  the  rear 
car  holding  in  his  hand  a  printed  card  containing 
the  hymn  printed  below  and  joined  heartily  in  the 
singing. 


FAREWELL  TO  OUR  NEIGHBOR, 

PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT. 

SATURDAY,  SEPTEMBER  30,  1905 

God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again, 
By  his  counsels  guide  uphold  you, 
With  his  flock  securely  fold  you, 
God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again. 

God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again, 
When  life's  perils  thick  confront  you, 
Put  his  arms  unfailing  round  you, 
God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again. 
God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again, 
Keep  love's  banner  floating  o'er  you, 
Smite  death's  threatening  wave  before  you, 
God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again. 

(To  be  sung  after  last  verse.) 
Till  me  meet,  till  we  meet, 
Till  we  meet  in  fellowship  sweet, 
Till  we  meet,  till  we  meet, 
God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again. 


124  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

MR.  ROOSEVELT  died  at  Sagamore  Hill  at 
4:15,  Monday  morning,  January  6th,  1919, 
while  he  lay  asleep.  The  cause  of  his  death  was 
given  as  pulmonary  embolism. 

Dr.  William  Gerry  Morgan  explained  a  pul 
monary  embolism  as  follows : 

"It  is  the  passing  of  a  blood  clot  into  the  pul 
monary  artery,  then  passing  on  until  it  reaches  an 
artery  too  small  to  pass,  thus  cutting  off  the  circu 
lation." 

For  many  months  Colonel  Roosevelt  had  been 
treated  by  the  most  eminent  surgeons  and  medical 
men  of  the  country,  but  it  is  said  the  malady 
baffled  the  skill  of  the  physicians.  While  at  the 
Koosevelt  Hospital,  Colonel  Roosevelt  had  a  num 
ber  of  serious  operations  performed. 

The  belief  is  quite  generally  expressed  that  Mr. 
Roosevelt's  system  was  filled  with  poison  during 
the  South  American  expedition. 


THE  funeral  ceremonies  in  Christ  Church,  on 
Wednesday,  January  8th,  were  deeply  im 
pressive. 

The  ritual  started  with  the  reading  of  the  cere 
monial  followed  by  Psalms  39  and  90;  then  the 
reading  of  the  15th  Chapter  of  the  1st  Corinthians 
as  the  scripture  lesson.  Rev.  George  E.  Talmadge, 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  125 

rector,  recited  Colonel  Roosevelt's  favorite  hymn, 
No.  636  in  the  Episcopal  Hymnal,  "How  Firm  A 
Foundation  Ye  Saints  of  the  Lord."  This  was 
followed  by  the  Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and 
other  supplications.  Music  was  entirely  dispensed 
with. 

Many  of  Colonel  Roosevelt's  neighbors  being 
unable  to  enter  the  little  Church,  stood  outside 
in  the  snow,  with  bowed  heads.  Grief  was  de 
picted  upon  every  face. 

The  immediate  relatives  at  the  funeral  included 
Mrs.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Capt.  Archibald  Roose 
velt,  Mrs.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Jr.,  Mrs.  Ethel 
Roosevelt  Derby,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nicholas  Long- 
worth  of  Cincinnati.  Capt.  Kermit  Roosevelt  and 
Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Jr.,  sent  cablegrams  from 
Europe,  where  they  were  stationed  with  the  Amer 
ican  forces. 

Other  relatives  at  the  funeral  were  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  Douglas  Robinson,  Rear-Admiral  W.  S. 
Cowles,  a  brother-in-law  of  Colonel  Roosevelt ;  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Joseph  Astop,  Mr.  W.  Emlen  Roosevelt, 
Mr.  John  C.  Roosevelt,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  Reeve 
Merrit,  Mrs.  J.  West  Roosevelt,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J. 
Langdon  Warner,  Mrs.  Hilborn  D.  Roosevelt,  Mr. 
John  E.  Roosevelt,  Mrs.  Fairman  Dick,  Mrs.  Mon- 
cure  Robinson,  Mrs,  Langdon  Gear,  Mrs.  James 


126  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Roosevelt,  Mrs.  Fred  Roosevelt,  and  Mrs.  Samuel 
Roosevelt. 

Vice  President  Thomas  R.  Marshall,  repre 
sented  President  Wilson  at  the  funeral.  General 
Peyton  C.  March,  Chief  of  Staff,  represented  the 
United  States  Army  and  Admiral  Winslow,  the 
Navy.  There  were  also  a  number  of  diplomatic 
representatives. 

Governor  Alfred  E.  Smith  and  his  staff,  of 
New  York,  were  among  the  distinguished  persons 
at  the  funeral.  A  Congressional  delegation  from 
Washington  also  attended. 

A  silver  plate  on  the  plain  oaken  coffin  bore  the 
inscription : 

THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 
BORN  OCTOBER  27,  1858.     DIED  JANUARY  6,  1919. 

The  burial  was  in  Young's  Memorial  Cemetery, 
on  a  beautiful  knoll  overlooking  Long  Island 
Sound.  The  plot  was  selected  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Roosevelt  directly  after  Mr.  Roosevelt  left  the 
White  House.  The  grave  is  guarded  night  and 
day  by  Lieut.  C.  P.  Reynolds,  a  watchman  em 
ployed  for  that  purpose,  alternating  with  another 
soldier. 

The  grave  has  been  enclosed  with  an  iron  fence 
eight  feet  high.  Entrance  to  the  plot  is  now 
through  a  gate  which  is  to  be  kept  locked. 


Where  the  "Summer  White  House"  was  located 
over  Moore's  Grocery  Store. 


From  the  Broadway  Magazine,  September,  1907. 

Upper  picture  shows  the  President  and  Mrs,  Roosevelt 

leaving  church. 

Beneath  is  interior  of  Christ  Church  at  Oyster  Bay 
where  the  funeral  services  were  held. 


"*. 
\ll 
\b 

£ 


WILLIAM  CRAIG 

(Wearing  silk  hat) 

Head    of    Sec-rot    Service    Force,    acting    ;is    l»ody-,«;narcl    to 

President    Roosevelt.    He    save    his    life    for    Roosevelt 

in   an   accident  at   Pittsfield,   Mass. 

(See  poem  on  page  66) 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  127 

ROOSEVELT  MEMORIAL  PARK 
Electus  D.  Litchfield,  the  architect,  an  old  friend 
and  neighbor  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  speaking  of 
the  Roosevelt  Memorial  says  that  "the  committee 
charged  with  doing  something  at  Oyster  Bay  has 
determined  to  push  this  work  through  as  rapidly 
as  possible."  Mr.  Litchfield  also  said : 

"Among  the  features  which  Mr.  Loeb  and  other 
members  of  the  committee  have  definitely  suggest 
ed  as  desirable  were  a.  play-ground  equipped  with 
swings  and  other  apparatus  for  the  use  of  chil 
dren,  a  baseball  diamond  and  a  grand  stand,  ten 
nis  courts,  bathing  beach,  and  possibly  a  public 
bathhouse.  In  addition  to  these  recreational  and 
more  or  less  utilitarian  features,  it  has  been  sug 
gested  that  the  park  should  contain  an  open-air 
forum,  fountain,  lagoons,  and  other  features  of  a 
dignified  memorial  character." 

"Col.  Roosevelt  was  responsible  for  the  great 
McKim-Burnham  plan  for  the  development  and 
beautification  of  Washington,  for  the  simple  and 
charming  restoration  of  the  White  House,  and  for 
the  adoption  by  the  Government  of  a  new  stan 
dard  of  artistic  accomplishment  in  the  design  of 
our  American  money.  It  was  appropriate,  there 
fore,  that  we  endeavor  to  make  this  memorial  as 
beautiful  and  as  dignified  as  art  and  our  appro 
priation  will  permit." 


128      THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

CHRONOLOGICAL  RECORD  OF  THEODORE 
ROOSEVELT'S  CAREER 


1858 — Born,  October  27,  in  New  York  city,  son  of  Theodore 
and  Martha  Bulloch  Roosevelt. 

1876 — Matriculated  at  Harvard  University. 

3880 — Graduated  from  Harvard  University. 

1S80 — Married  to   Miss  Alice   Hathaway  Lee,   daughter   of 

George  Cabot  Lee. 
/1882— Published  his  first  book,  "The  Naval  War  of  1812." 

1882 — Elected  to  New  York  State  legislature,  and  elected 
minority  floor  leader. 

1884 — Delegate  to  Republican  national  convention  as  chair 
man  of  New  York  delegation.  Opposed  Elaine's  nom 
ination. 

1884 — Determined  to  get  out  of  politics  and  went  to  North 
Dakota  to  take  up  ranch  life. 

1884 — February,  mother  and  wife  died  within  few  hours  of 
each  other. 

1886 — Nominated  for  mayor  of  New  York  and  defeated. 

1886— Married  in  London  to  Miss  Edith  Kermit  Carow, 
daughter  of  Charles  Carow,  of  New  York. 

1889-1895 — Civil  service  commissioner. 

1895-1897 — President  of  the  New  York  police  board. 

1897-1898 — Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

1898 — Lieutenant  colonel  of  the  Rough  Riders. 

1898 — Promoted  to  colonel  for  gallantry  in  battle  of  Las 
Guasimas. 

1898 — Elected  Governor  of  New  York. 

1900— Elected  Vice  President  of  the  United  States. 

1901 — Succeeded  to  the  Presidency,  September  14. 

1902 — Settled  anthracite  coal  strike. 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  129 

1904— Elected  President  of  the  United  States. 

3904 — November  8,  announced  that  under  no  circumstances 

would  he  accept  another  nomination  for  Presidency. 
1906 — Awarded  Nobel  peace  prize  for  efforts  in  ending  the 

Russo-Japanese  war. 

1907 — December  11,  repeated  his  pledge  of  November  8,  1904. 
1909 — March  4,  concluded  his  second  term  as  President  and 

returned  to  private  life. 

1909 — March  23,  left  for  Africa  on  hunting  trip. 
1910 — April  21,  visited  President  Fallieres,  in  Paris. 
1910 — May  10,  received  by  Emperor  William,  at  Potsdam. 
1910 — May  20,  special  envoy  at  funeral  of  King  Edward. 
1910 — May  30,  delivered  speech  on  Egypt  in  London. 
1910 — June  18,  given  ovation  in  New  York  on  return  from 

European  tour  and  African  hunting  trip. 
1910 — September  27,  elected  temporary  chairman  New  York 

State  Republican  convention. 
1912 — February  25,  announced  to  "seven  governors"  that  he 

would  accept  the  presidential  nomination  if  tendered 

him. 

1912 — June  14,  left  Oyster  Bay  for  Republican  national  con 
vention  in  Chicago. 
3912 — June  15,  accorded  great  ovation  by  his  supporters  in 

Chicago. 
1912 — June    22,    defeated    for    Republican    nomination    for 

President. 

1912 — June  22,  chosen  as  candidate  at  mass  meeting  of  Pro 
gressives  in  Orchestra  Hall,  Chicago. 
1912 — July  7,  call  issued  for  "National  Progressive  Party" 

convention  at  Chicago,  August  5. 
1912 — August  5,  returned  to  Chicago  for  Progressive  party 

convention. 


130  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

1912 — August  7,  nominated  for  President  by  National  Pro 
gressive  party  at  its  convention. 

1912 — October  14,  wounded  at  Milwaukee  by  anti-third-term 
fanatic. 

1912 — October  15,  taken  to  hospital  in  Chicago. 

1912 — October  21,  left  hospital  for  home  at  Oyster  Bay,  N.  Y. 

1912 — October  30,  resumed  speechmaking,  addressing  New 
York  city  voters. 

1913 — Published  autobiography  and  toured  South  America, 
deliver.ag  many  addresses. 

1913 — May  31,  judgment  rendered  in  his  favor  at  Marquette, 
Mich.,  '.a  suit  for  libel  against  G.  H.  Newett,  who  dur 
ing  presidential  campaign  of  1912  charged  him  with 
intoxication. 

1914 — At  head  of  exploring  party  discovered  and  explored 
for  600  miles  tributary  of  Madeira  River  which  Brazil 
ian  government  named  in  his  honor,  "Reo  Theodoro." 
Visited  Madrid,  Spain,  and  in  London  lectured  before 
Royal  Geographic  Society. 

1915 — May  22,  jury  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  rendered  verdict  in 
his  favor  in  suit  brought  by  William  Barnes,  jr.  of 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  for  alleged  libelous  utterances. 

1915 — At  Plattsburg  business  men's  training  camp  violently 
criticized  President  Wilson's  conduct  of  foreign  af 
fairs.  Speech  drew  upon  Maj.  Gen.  Leonard  Wood, 
commanding  camp,  rebuke  from  Lindley  M.  Garrison, 
Secretary  of  War,  for  permitting  delivery  of  ''politi 
cal  speech."  Thereafter  advocated  military  prepared 
ness  and  more  aggressive  foreign  policy. 

1916 — Nominated  by  ''Bull  Moose  Convention"  at  Chicago 
for  Presidency ;  declined  nomination  and  actively  sup 
ported  Charles  E.  Hughes,  Republican  candidate. 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  131 

1917 — After  declaration  of  war  against  Germany  called  at 
White  House  and  commended  President  Wilson's  war 
message  to  Congress.  Later  offered  to  raise  a  division 
of  troops  beyond  conscription  age  for  service  in 
France. 

1918 — January  22,  arrived  in  Washington  on  last  visit,  com 
ing,  as  he  exprsesed  it,  "to  help  speed  up  the  war." 

1918 — January  24,  at  National  Press  Club,  in  last  public  ad 
dress  in  Washington  defended  right  to  criticize  ad 
ministration's  conduct  of  the  war. 

3919 — January  6,  died. 


OLD  residents  prided  themselves  on  meeting 
and  greeting  President  Roosevelt.  He  was 
always  glad  to  see  them.  "Uncle  Amos"  Boreum, 
an  old  stage  driver,  now  dead,  gave  little  "Teddy" 
many  rides  on  top  of  his  coach  in  the  early  days, 
and  the  President  always  kept  him  in  mind.  Mr. 
Boreum's  wife  was  a  cousin  of  the  famous  "Fight 
ing  Phil  Sheridan."  "Uncle  Jake"  White,  another 
old  resident,  who  drove  a  depot  wagon,  always 
had  access  to  the  grounds  at  Sagamore  Hill. 


132  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 


FAMOUS  RACE  SUICIDE  LETTER 

TF  A  MAN  OR  WOMAN,  through  no  fault  of 
**  his  or  hers,  goes  throughout  life  denied  those 
highest  of  all  joys  which  spring  only  from  home 
life,  from  the  having  and  bringing  up  of  many 
healthy  children,  I  feel  for  them  deep  and  respect 
ful  sympathy But  the  man  or  woman 

who  deliberately  avoids  marriage  and  has  a  heart 
so  cold  as  to  know  no  passion  and  a  brain  so 
shallow  and  selfish  as  to  dislike  having  children,  is 
in  effect  a  criminal  against  the  race  and  should  be 
an  object  of  contemptuous  abhorrence  by  all 
healthy  people.  ...  If  the  men  of  the  nation 
are  not  anxious  to  work  in  many  different  ways, 
with  all  their  might  and  strength,  and  ready  and 
able  to  fight  at  need,  and  anxious  to  be  fathers  of 
families,  and  if  the  women  do  not  recognize  that 
the  greatest  thing  for  any  woman  is  to  be  a  good 
wife  and  mother,  why,  that  nation  has  cause  to  be 
alarmed  about  its  future." — From  President 
Roosevelt's  famous  Race  Suicide  letter,  addressed 
October  18,  1902,  to  Mrs.  Bessie  Van  Horst,  Phila 
delphia  ;  published  as  a  preface  in  the  book,  "The 
Woman  Who  Toils." 


far 


On    the  accompanying  page  is  an  extract  from 


Sent  eight  hours  before  his  death. 

THE    MESSAGE  appeared    in  the  first  edition  of  these 
MEMOIRS  soon  after  it  was  read.     Since  that  time  it 
has  gone  into   hundreds  of  households   and   in   many 
public  libraries,  having  been  read  by  thousands  of  admiring 
Americans.     The  message  should  be  placed  in  every  home. 

The  author  of  this  book  is  very  glad  to  have  had  a 
hand  in  the  distribution  of  this  ringing  message  to  the 
American  people. 


STAND  UP  FOR  "AMERICANISM,"  was  the 
last  plea  made  by  Colonel  Roosevelt.  This 
last  message  to  the  American  people  was  delivered 
at  the  all-American  benefit  concert  given  by  the 
American  Defense  Society  at  the  Hippodrome  in 
New  York  on  January  5,  1919,  and  because  of  the 
Colonel's  indisposition,  it  was  read  by  Mr.  Henry 
C.  Quimby,  a  trustee  of  the  society.  The  message 
which  has  the  true  Roosevelt  ring,  said : 

There  must  be  no  sagging  back  in  the  fight  for  American 
ism  merely  because  the  war  is  over.  There  are  plenty  of 
persons  whp  have  already  made  the  assertion  that  they 
believe  the  American  people  have  a  short  memory  and  that 
they  intend  to  revive  all  the  foreign  associations  which  most 
directly  interfere  with  the  complete  organization  of  our 
people. 

Our  principle  in  this  matter  should  be  absolutely  simple. 
In  the  first  place,  we  should  insist  that  if  the  immigrant  who 
comes  here  in  good  faith  becomes  an  American  and  assimi 
lates  himself  to  us,  he  shall  be  treated  on  an  exact  equality 
with  everyone  else,  for  it  is  an  outrage  to  discriminate 
against  any  such  man  because  of  creed,  or  birthplace  or 
origin. 

But  this  is  predicated  upon  the  man's  becoming  in  fact  an 
American  and  nothing  but  an  American.  If  he  tries  to  keep 
segregated  with  men  of  his  own  origin  and  separated  from 
the  rest  of  America,  then  he  isn't  doing  his  part  as  an 
American. 

There  can  be  no  divided  allegiance  here.  Any  man  who 
says  he  is  an  American,  but  something  else  also,  isn't  an 
American  at  all.  We  have  room  for  but  one  flag,  the  Ameri 
ican  flag,  and  this  excludes  the  red  flag,  which  symbolizes 
all  wars  against  liberty  and  civilization  just  as  much  as  it 
excludes  any  flag  of  a  nation  to  which  we  are  hostile. 


PUT  OUT  THE  LIGHT,  PLEASE3 

(Last  Words  of  Theodore  Roosevelt) 


"Put  out  the  light,  please."  These  were  the 
last  words  he  said  on  whom  now  light  eternal 
shines.  For  him  no  burden  of  the  slow  and 
fading  years,  with  consciousness  of  an  impend 
ing  blow;  the  sword  of  Damocles  above  his 
head  about  to  fall  and  bring  oblivion.  No,  it 
were  best  to  go  while  still  the  strength  of  his 
great  manhood  unabated  stood  and  matched  his 
mighty  spirit,  which  untamed  by  strain  and 
travel  of  the  passing  days  still  sprang  toward 
longed  for  action  When  it  seemed  the  time  was 
ripe  to  serve  his  country  best ;  now  he  rests.  His 
work  on  earth  was  done,  else  he  had  stayed  to 
finish  it.  No  life  goes  back  to  its  Maker  incom 
plete,  though  our  earthly  eyes  not  always  read 
the  story  to  its  end.  The  end  for  him  is  but 
the  beginning  of  a  sure  presage  of  immortality. 
Such  souls  were  never  made  to  be  destroyed, 
but  to  go  on  and  on  to  wider  fields  and  newer 
achievements,  fitted  to  the  powers  which  here 
on  earth  were  as  a  sacred  trust  held  blameless, 
stainless  and  inviolate. 

— The  Liberal  News,  Kansas 


ADDENDA 


Copyright,  1920 

by 
ALBERT  LOREN  CHENEY 


HEN  the  author  of  these  memoirs  decided 
to  write  his  impressions  of  the  late 
Colonel  Roosevelt,  he  started  out  with 
the  sole  purpose  of  making  the  book  a 
fragmentary  compilation  of  truthful  and 
interesting  incidents  in  the  hope  that 
the  inside  facts  regarding  Colonel  Roosevelt's 
home  life,  and  the  intense  human  side  of  the  man, 
might  be  an  uplift  and  an  inspiration  to  every 
reader  of  the  book,  especially  to  the  young  men  of 
the  country,  thereby  assisting  in  keeping  alive  the 
vigorous  American  spirit  always  evinced  and 
espoused  by  Mr.  Roosevelt. 

In  a  disquisition  on  pedants  and  history, 
Colonel  Roosevelt  once  said :  "I  have  enough  good 
sense,  or  obstinacy,  or  something,  to  retain  a  sub 
conscious  belief  that  inasmuch  as  books  were 
meant  to  be  read,  good  books  ought  to  be  interest 
ing,  and  the  best  books  capable  in  addition  of 
giving  one  a  lift  upward  in  some  direction.''  To 
a  prominent  author  who  had  written  an  American 

137 


138  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

history  to  his  liking,  Roosevelt  wrote :  "You  are 
one  of  the  few  blessed  exceptions  to  the  rule  that 
the  readable  historian  is  not  truthful." 

During  the  time  that  Colonel  Roosevelt  was 
passing  rapidly  from  one  stage  of  public  life  to 
another,  it  was  the  principal  part  of  the  author's 
business,  as  a  newspaper  man  and  neighbor  to 
make  daily  notes  of  his  coming  and  going  to  and 
from  Oyster  Bay,  and  also  to  participate  in  all 
the  public  functions  in  his  honor.  This  close  con 
tact  with  the  man  gave  the  writer  a  correct 
insight  into  his  habits  and  manners;  therefore 
whatever  else  may  be  said  of  the  subjoined 
memoirs,  the  incidents  are  at  least  true  to  life. 
The  greatest  and  most  highly  prized  compliment 
paid  to  these  memoirs  was  that  expressed  by  Mrs. 
Roosevelt,  who,  after  perusing  the  book,  wrote: 
"All  the  old  days  came  back  with  the  little  book." 


THE  cartoonist  naturally  claims  the  right  to 
distort  and  magnify  a  person's  individu 
ality,  the  reporter  is  often  licensed  to  exaggerate 
and  accentuate  a  man's  traits,  and  thus  the  reader 
frequently  receives  a  wrong  impression  of  the 
true  character  of  many  public  men,  notably 
Roosevelt,  whose  constant  activity  and  strong 
personality  made  him  a  good  target  for  both  pen 
and  pencil. 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  139 

Mr.  Julian  Street,  in  his  book,  "The  Most  Inter 
esting  American,"  writing  of  his  first  meeting 
with  Roosevelt,  says  he  felt  a  slight  disappoint 
ment.  "I  did  not  expect  him  to  be  attired  in  the 
khaki  of  the  cavalry,  or  to  be  heavily  armed,  but," 
says  Mr.  Street,  "I  did  expect  him  to  be — what 
shall  I  say? — to  be  more  like  the  cartoons,  to  be 
somehow  wilder-looking."  He  said  he  had  not  ex 
pected  Colonel  Roosevelt  to  be  like  a  conservative 
banker  of  Amsterdam  or  The  Hague,  but  that  was 
what  he  made  him  think  of  as  he  sat  behind  his 
office  desk. 


/CERTAIN  press  agents  use  the  term  "The 
^^  Fighting  Roosevelts,"  when  as  a  matter  of 
fact  "The  Peaceful  Roosevelts"  would  better 
describe  the  family.  Roosevelt  was  not  a  fighter 
in  the  sense  that  he  sought  or  courted  war,  but 
was  ready  to  respond  promptly  to  the  call  of  duty. 
While  he  seemed  to  carry  the  "chip  of  State"  on 
his  shoulder  when  President  of  the  United  States, 
and  dared  the  other  nations  to  knock  it  off,  it  was 
his  dauntless  courage  and  not  his  belligerent 
attitude  that  kept  this  country  out  of  trouble.  He 
was  both  feared  and  admired  by  other  rulers. 

Lew  Dockstader,  the  famous  minstrel,  once  im 
personated  Roosevelt  on  the  stage  in  a  very  life- 


140  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

like  sketch.    Among  other  manufactured  sayings 
he  attributed  to  Roosevelt  was  this : 

* '  The — reason — there — was — no — war — when 
— I — was — President — was — because — the — other 
— fell-ows  —  were  —  too  —  busy-e  —  watching — 
ME!" 


THE  late  Jacob  Riis,  once  designated  as  "the 
first  citizen,"  and  counted  one  of  Roose 
velt's  greatest  friends,  had  a  better  conception  of 
Colonel  Roosevelt's  true  character  than  most  men 
who  were  intimately  acquainted  with  the  ex- 
President.  They  were  very  similar  in  their  likes 
and  dislikes — in  fact  the  word  "chummy"  might 
be  applicable  as  to  the  relationship  between  the 
two  men.  The  writer  can  recall  an  incident  to 
illustrate:  When  former  President  Roosevelt 
attended  services  at  Christ  Church  in  Oyster  Bay, 
it  was  customary  for  the  congregation  to  remain 
seated  until  the  President  and  his  family  left  the 
church.  The  usher's  duties  were  extremely 
strenuous.  One  Sunday  a  rather  rough-looking 
man  persisted  in  crowding  his  way  through  the 
door,  and  was  told  to  stand  back  until  the  Presi 
dent  had  passed.  As  the  usher  was  in  the  act  of 
forcing  the  intruder  to  one  side,  he  heard  Mr. 
Roosevelt  shout  heartily: 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  141 

"Hello,  Jake !  By  George  I'm  mightly  glad  to 
see  you!"  and  grasping  the  "intruder"  by  the 
hand  President  Roosevelt  exclaimed:  "Come  on 
down  to  lunch." 

When  the  usher  discovered  that  the  man  was 
Jacob  Riis,  he  wilted  and  dropped  into  a  pew. 
As  the  two  men  left  the  room  arm  in  arm,  Riis 
nodded  in  the  direction  of  the  discomfited  usher 
and  said  in  an  undertone  to  Roosevelt:  "Pipe  the 
usher!"  Roosevelt,  who  enjoyed  the  situation  im 
mensely,  laughingly  replied:  "Stung!"  and  both 
men  left  the  church  chuckling  like  a  couple  of 
school  boys. 


THE  CRUCIAL  TEST  of  a  man's  true  charac 
ter  is,  after  all,  found  in  the  traits  he  dis 
plays  in  the  family  circle  from  day  to  day. 
Colonel  Roosevelt  in  this  regard  was  100  per  cent, 
perfect.  The  testimony  of  every  person  connected 
with  the  Roosevelt  household  bears  out  this  state 
ment.  Among  the  persons  privileged  to  enjoy 
studying  Colonel  Roosevelt  in  the  inner  circle  of 
his  home,  is  Mrs.  Ralph  Stuart  Clinton,  of  Wash 
ington,  D.  C.,  formerly  secretary  to  Mr.  Roose 
velt  at  Sagamore  Hill.  Her  interesting  experience 
published  in  the  Ladles'  Home  Journal,  is  now 
included  in  these  memoirs. 


(From  the  Ladies'  Home  Journal,  October,  1919) 


"AS  A  GIRL  SAW 
THEODORE  ROOSEVELT" 


By  MRS.  RALPH  STUART  CLINTON 

(Who,   as  Miss  Amy   Cheney,   was  formerly   Secretary   to   Colonel 
Roosevelt,   at   Sagamore  Hill) 


FIRST  met  Colonel  Roosevelt,  wearing 
his  characteristic  smile,  in  the  editorial 
rooms  of  my  father  at  Oyster  Bay,  by 
appointment.  He  needed  the  services  of 
a  secretary,  he  told  me.    He  asked  me 
several  questions  and,  being  seemingly 
satisfied  with  my  answers,  wanted  to  know  how 
soon  I  could  begin. 

"Tomorrow  morning,"  I  replied. 
"Fine!    That's  the  way  to  talk.   I  will  send  a 
conveyance  for  you  in  the  morning,"  he  said. 

When  I  arrived  at  Sagamore  Hill  the  following 
morning,  Colonel  Roosevelt  hailed  me  and,  hurry 
ing  to  the  side  of  the  conveyance,  took  my  type 
writing  machine  and  proceeded  to  his  workroom 
(known  as  the  gun  room).  When  I  mildly  re 
monstrated  and  remarked  that  the  machine  was 
pretty  heavy,  he  replied  that  he  had  carried 
heavier  things  than  that ! 

142 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  143 

Having  been  brought  up  in  a  newspaper  atmos 
phere,  and  trained  in  the  work,  my  experience 
stood  me  in  good  stead  at  Sagamore  Hill.  A  veri 
table  avalanche  of  letters  showered  upon  Mr. 
Roosevelt.  He  tried  to  get  additional  clerical 
assistance  from  the  village  and  failed.  Finally,  in 
sheer  desperation,  he  gave  me  dictation  enough  to 
last  several  days,  and  then  shipped  a  barrel  of 
letters  to  New  York,  following  later  to  dictate  to 
stenographers  in  the  city.  Before  expressing  the 
barrel  of  letters  he  glanced  at  it  and,  with  one  of 
his  characteristic  smiles,  exclaimed: 

"By  Jove !  I  think  I  should  label  that  Tower  of 
the  Press/  It  certainly  is  mightier  than  the 
sword !" 


T30TH  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt  were  very 
*•*  thoughtful  and  considerate  of  everyone  and 
of  each  other,  being  exceedingly  appreciative  of 
anything  that  was  done  for  them.  Their  home  life 
was  ideal.  There  was  nothing  to  jar,  not  an  un 
pleasant  incident  all  the  time  I  was  with  the  fami 
ly.  They  insisted  that  I  should  eat  at  the  family 
table,  and  treated  me  accordingly  in  every  way. 
The  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt  were  in  the  habit 
of  taking  a  "constitutional"  early  every  morning, 
walking  around  the  wide  varanda  arm  in  arm, 
rain  or  shine,  as  merry  as  two  children. 


144  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Colonel  Roosevelt  was  always  gentlemanly.  I 
never  heard  him  use  a  harsh  or  a  vulgar  word.  He 
was  particularly  fond  of  his  children,  and  would 
stop  in  the  midst  of  dictation,  every  afternoon  at 
four  o'clock,  and  leave  the  room,  after  which 
strange  noises  proceeded  from  the  nursery.  He 
was  playing  bear  with  baby  Quentin  on  the  bed! 


MR.  ROOSEVELT'S  dictation  was  vigorous 
and  pointed.  He  insisted  upon  accuracy, 
and  would  read  and  punctuate  a  letter  even  to  the 
insertion  of  a  semicolon.  Sometimes  in  the  middle 
of  a  letter  he  would  pause,  lost  in  thought,  seem 
ingly  miles  away.  At  such  times  I  always  kept 
very  quiet.  Mr.  Roosevelt  would  rouse  himself 
suddenly,  jump  up  and  pace  the  floor  and 
straighten  out  the  rugs  with  the  toe  of  his  shoe, 
dictating  rapidly,  shooting  out  his  words  like 
charges  from  a  Gatling  gun. 

If  a  letter  to  him  was  particularly  vituperative 
or  unreasonable,  he  would  drop  it  on  the  floor  or 
crush  it  in  his  hand  without  comment. 

He  answered  every  letter  written  to  him,  if 
couched  in  decent  language.  He  read  only  those 
of  a  personal  character;  the  others  were  sub 
divided  and  classified  as  "charity,"  "appoint 
ments,"  "political,"  etc.,  with  a  typed  notation 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  145 

containing  the  meat  of  the  letter.  From  these 
notations  he  dictated  very  rapidly,  often  giving 
double  dictation.  After  dictating  letters  he  would 
turn  and  resume  dictation  to  another  stenogra 
pher,  from  a  magazine,  in  the  same  room,  alter 
nating  the  dictation  hour  after  hour. 

Sometimes  Archie,  aged  five,  would  rush  into 
the  room  with  pencil  and  paper  and  ask  to  be  dic 
tated  to;  and  Colonel  Roosevelt,  never  out  of 
patience  with  his  children,  would  remark :  "Now, 
Archie,  only  iivo  at  a  time,  please !" 


/COLONEL  and  Mrs.  Roosevelt  loved  humor.  I 
^**  recall  that  Opper,  the  cartoonist,  once  sent 
a  book  of  his  cartoons.  One  of  the  Opper  cartoons 
pictured  little  Willie  McKinley  and  Teddy  Roose 
velt,  the  latter  dressed  in  his  Rough  Rider  suit. 
Mr.  Roosevelt  laughed  in  his  heartiest  manner 
over  this  cartoon.  He  showed  it  to  Mrs.  Roose 
velt,  and  they  laughed  at  it  together.  Mrs.  Roose 
velt  took  the  book,  and  kept  coming  back  to  show 
the  Colonel  another  one,  and  would  say:  "Theo 
dore,  you  must  see  this  one!"  Then  they  would 
have  another  laugh. 

Colonel  Roosevelt  frequently  recalled  the  "Bat 
tle  of  the  Letters"  at  Sagamore  Hill,  as  he  always 
termed  it ;  spoke  of  Archie,  who  used  to  try  every 


146  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

subterfuge  imaginable  to  remain  when  his  father 
was  dictating,  and  referred  to  the  time  when 
Archie,  loath  to  leave  the  room,  circled  the  air 
with  his  right  hand  and  yelled:  "Father!  I 
nearly  caught  a  fly!"  As  it  was  midwinter  the 
subterfuge  pleased  the  Colonel  immensely. 


ONCE  a  year  it  was  Mr.  Roosevelfs  custom  to 
receive  the  reporters  in  his  study  at  Saga 
more  Hill.  These  informal  receptions  were  always 
looked  forward  to  with  the  keenest  delight  by  the 
newspaper  boys,  who  perked  up  and  appeared  in 
evening  dress. 

They  sat  in  a  circle  in  front  of  Mr.  Roosevelt, 
similar  to  the  formation  of  a  minstrel  troupe,  with 
Colonel  Roosevelt  seated  facing  them  like  an 
interlocutor.  Although  he  did  not  smoke  himself, 
he  would  always  pass  around  cigars  first  and  per 
sonally  light  a  match  for  each  reporter.  Then  he 
would  settle  down  in  his  chair  and  spin  exciting 
yarns  for  an  hour  or  more  in  true  Roosevelt  fash 
ion. 

The  fingers  of  every  reporter  present  tingled 
with  a  desire  to  write  these  stories,  but  they  were 
in  honor  bound  to  keep  faith  with  their  host.  One 
of  the  reporters  present,  whose  paper  was  fiercely 
assailing  Mr.  Roosevelt  at  the  time,  told  another 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  147 

reporter  that  his  wife  was  an  ardent  admirer  of 
Mr.  Roosevelt,  and  that  she  would  do  almost  any 
thing  in  the  world  to  procure  his  picture  and  auto 
graph.  This  fact  was  communicated  to  Mr. 
Roosevelt,  who  turned  to  Loeb  and  said : 

"Loeb,  send  up  one  of  my  best  pictures  for  auto 
graph  and  mail  it  to  the  address  of  that  man's 
wife!"  And  the  favored  reporter  frankly  admit 
ted  that  this  generous  act  took  all  the  bitterness 
against  Mr.  Roosevelt  out  of  his  pen. 


ALL  the  members  of  the  Roosevelt  household 
were  very  close-mouthed.     On  account  of 
Mr.  Roosevelt's  ceaseless  activity  and  frankness, 
the  air  was  continually  surcharged   with  good 
stories  that  never  reached  the  newspapers. 


A  LTHOUGH  impulsive,  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  al-  \ 
*\  ways  cool  when  danger  threatened.  One 
night  a  conference  of  international  importance 
was  being  held  at  Sagamore  Hill,  attended  by 
several  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the  country, 
who  had  arrived  on  a  yacht  moored  at  the  Roose 
velt  landing.  The  conference  lasted  until  nearly 
midnight,  when  suddenly  the  lights  went  out  and 
the  whole  house  was  shrouded  in  darkness.  The 
guests  sprang  to  their  feet  in  excitement.  Mr. 
Roosevelt  coolly  remarked: 


148  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

"Gentlemen,  please  remain  quiet  and  I  will  in 
vestigate." 

Hearing  heavy  footsteps  in  the  hall,  Colonel 
Roosevelt  passed  through  the  study  to  the  door 
and  snapped  out  "Who's  there  ?" — ready  to  spring. 

"It's  me,"  replied  Seaman,  superintendent  of 
the  Roosevelt  estate.  He  had  been  in  the  kitchen 
and  had  rushed  in  to  ascertain  the  trouble,  which 
proved  to  be  a  defective  pipe  leading  to  the  gas 
tank.  Lights  were  improvised,  and  the  confer 
ence  continued,  Colonel  Roosevelt  remarking: 

"By  Jove,  gentlemen,  that  sudden  transition 
surely  got  me  for  a  second !" 


MR.  ROOSEVELT  was  extremely  sensitive 
when  his  honor  was  questioned.  While 
governor  he  had  an  important  impeachment  case 
to  decide  and  was  in  conference  at  Sagamore  Hill 
with  the  attorney  general,  when  the  morning  and 
evening  newspaper  reporters  arrived  at  Saga 
more  Hill.  It  was  customary  for  each  newspaper 
contingent  to  select  a  spokesman  from  the  num 
ber.  Mr.  Roosevelt  had  promised  to  give  out  a 
joint  interview  with  all  the  reporters.  One  re 
porter  representing  the  evening  papers,  becoming 
overzealous  and  restless,  approached  Mr.  Roose 
velt  and  said :  "You  are  sure,  Governor,  that  you 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  149 

will  not  give  out  the  information  to  the  morning 
men  first?" 

Mr.  Roosevelt  wheeled  about,  his  teeth  gleam 
ing,  and  barked  out: 

"Look  here,  my  friend,  don't  think  because 
you're  a  fool,  I'm  one !" 

"But  my  people  down  below,"  stammered  the 
reporter. 

"Well,  if  your  people  down  below"  (with  great 
emphasis  on  the  word  below)  "haven't  any  sense, 
you  ought  to  have  some." 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Roosevelt  stepped  up  to  the 
young  man  and  said: 

"My  good  fellow,  I  allow  no  one  to  question 
my  word,  but  as  you  seem  to  be  only  overanxious 
in  fulfilling  your  duty,  I  forgive  you." 


/COLONEL  ROOSEVELT'S  thoughtfulness  for 
^^  others  was  proverbial.  A  big  reception  was 
to  be  held  at  Sagamore  Hill,  and  one  of  the  mem 
bers  of  the  reception  committee  suggested  that 
the  reporters  be  placed  in  a  roped  inclosure.  When 
the  President  saw  the  inclosure  being  put  up  he 
exclaimed  rather  testily: 

"Not  for  one  minute!  Don't  rope  in  those  re 
porters  like  a  lot  of  cattle.  Give  them  the  unre 
stricted  run  of  the  lawn !" 


150  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

Mr.  Roosevelt  brought  more  grist  to  the  news 
paper  mill  than  any  other  public  man.    He  never  •> 
snubbed  or  grew  impatient  with  a  reporter  if  the 
reporter  was  on  the  square. 


MR.  ROOSEVELT  greatly  admired  the  en 
ergy  and  ingenuity  displayed  by  the  news 
paper  men  in  securing  a  story,  especially  if  they 
obtained  a  "scoop."  A  prominent  London  news 
paper  commissioned  one  of  its  American  staff  to 
go  to  Sagamore  Hill  to  obtain  an  exclusive  inter 
view  with  President  Roosevelt  by  special  appoint 
ment,  regarding  an  international  question.  The 
reporters  on  duty  at  Oyster  Bay  obtained  a  tip 
concerning  the  Englishman's  trip,  and  immedi 
ately  set  about  getting  the  story.  They  discovered 
that  one  of  their  number  understood  telegraphy, 
and  it  was  left  to  him  to  make  good.  The  re 
porters  waited  until  the  Englishman  had  filed  his 
story  at  the  telegraph  office,  and  then  the  scout 
reporter  sauntered  in,  seated  himself  at  the  re 
porters'  table  and  took  the  Englishman's  ex 
clusive  story  hot  from  the  key  as  it  was  sent  to  be 
cabled  to  London.  The  next  morning  all  the  New 
York  papers  carried  the  "exclusive  interview" 
simultaneously  with  the  London  paper.  When  the 
incident  was  mentioned  to  Mr.  Roosevelt  he 
laughed  heartily,  remarking: 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  151 

"By  Jove!    You  can't  beat  the  American  re 
porter." 


OLONEL  ROOSEVELT  and  Secretary  Loeb 
referred  all  Oyster  Bay  home  affairs  to  the 
local  editor,  such  as  receptions,  begging  letters, 
and  securing  rooms  for  members  of  the  executive 
force,  the  editor  also  acting  as  sort  of  an  "infor 
mation  bureau"  for  the  city  newspapers. 

One  day  the  local  scribe  received  a  real  shock  in 
the  form  of  the  following  telegram  from  the  New 
York  Herald: 

"It  is  reported  that  Mrs.  Roosevelt  has  discarded  corsets. 
Ascertain  whether  true  or  not." 

The  telegram  was  sent  to  Sagamore  Hill 
through  the  governess.  When  Mrs.  Roosevelt  was 
handed  the  message  she  showed  it  to  Mr.  Roose 
velt,  and  both  laughed  heartily;  and  Mrs.  Roose 
velt  smiled  and  said: 

"They  have  me  confounded  with  an  Empress  in 
Europe." 

It  was  thought  that  the  first  lady  in  the  land 
had  instituted  a  dress  reform  that  might  revolu 
tionize  American  society. 


SPEAKING  of  her  first  trip  to  Sagamore  Hill 
Mrs.  Clinton  says: 

"Arrangements  had  been  made  on  Saturday  for 
me  to  go  to  Sagamore  Hill  the  following  Monday. 


152  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT 

I  had  all  day  Sunday  to  think  about  the  new  posi 
tion,  and  to  wonder  if  I  would  be  able  to  suit 
Colonel  Roosevelt.  I  became  rather  nervous  about 
it.  Ordinarily,  the  trip  to  Sagamore  Hill  would 
have  pleased  me  very  much,  as  it  is  a  beautiful 
drive  of  three  miles  from  the  village,  but  on  Mon 
day  I  tortured  myself  most  of  the  way  with 
thoughts  of  how  I  would  feel  if  I  failed  to  make 
good,  and  by  the  time  I  arrived  at  the  house  I  had 
become  exceedingly  nervous,  when  suddenly  I 
heard  a  cheery  voice  calling  "Good  morning!"  to 
me  from  the  porch,  and  Colonel  Roosevelt  hurried 
forward.  The  next  thing  I  knew  I  was  walking 
along  with  Mr.  Roosevelt,  up  the  stairs,  and  while 
he  chatted  and  joked,  my  nervousness  disappeared 
completely.  I  never  thought  about  it  after  I  heard 
Colonel  Roosevelt's  kind,  cheery  voice.  All  I  re 
member  is  that  I  worked  like  mad  trying  to  keep 
up  with  the  mass  of  letters  that  poured  in  every 
day. 

"I  found  the  Roosevelt  home  a  real  home.  An 
air  of  comfort  and  happiness  pervaded  the  place, 
and  affairs  of  the  household  ran  smoothly,  with 
out  an  apparent  hitch.  The  large  fireplaces  in 
which  huge  logs  were  burning,  gave  a  very  cheer 
ful  aspect  to  the  big  rooms.  I  knew,  before  I  saw 
anyone  in  the  Roosevelt  household,  that  harmony 
and  happiness  prevailed  there." 


PUBLISHERS'   ANNOUNCEMENT 

A  FEW  COMMENTS  ON  THE  ROOSEVELT  MEMOIRS 

FROM  THE  PEOPLE 

"A  fine  work.  A  wonderful  man  as  your  subject — one 
of  the  greatest  the  world  has  ever  produced.  I  congratu 
late  you  on  your  good  judgment  and  taste  in  the  prepara 
tion  of  this  volume." — Dr.  Cary  T.  Gray  son,  Physician  to 
President  Wilson. 

"I  am  very  glad  to  have  it  in  my  library." — Former 
President  William  Hoivard  Taft. 

"An  extremely  interesting  book.  I  read  your  splendid 
work  with  care  and  much  interest.  It  has  been  a  source  of 
great  pleasure  to  me  to  get  these  personal  touches  of  our 
dear  friend's  life." — Admiral  W.  S.  Braisted,  Surgeon 
General,  U.  S.  N. 

"I  shall  read  it  with  a  great  deal  of  pleasure,  as  Roose 
velt's  life  will  be  an  inspiration  to  sturdy  Americans  for 
many  years  to  come. — C.  W.  Kutz,  Lt.  Col.,  Corps  of  Engi 
neers,  U.  S.  A.,  Engineer  Commissioner,  D.  C. 

"Washington,  D.  C.,  November  15,  1919.— Your  vivid  por 
trayal  more  firmly  instilled  my  admiration  for  'The  Great 
est  American  of  them  All.'  I  shall  place  it  in  my  library 
as  one  of  its  cherished  volumes.  Might  I  express  the  wish 
that  every  student  could  be  the  possessor  of  a  copy  of  your 
book  or  at  least  have  an  opportunity  to  read  it,  in  the  belief 
that  its  ring  of  pure  Americanism  would  appeal  to  all." — 
Chas.  T.  Cotton,  Senior,  Western  High  School. 

"Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.,  November  25,  1919. — Many  thanks 
for  the  book  from  Baby  Quentin  and  myself.  I  read  it  with 
a  great  deal  of  interest." — Theodore  Roosevelt,  Jr. 

"Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  December  18,  1919.— I  was  delight 
fully  surprised  to  receive  your  book  so  beautifully  in 
scribed.  I  enjoyed  every  word  of  it.  You  have  given  the 
public  a  fine  work,  and  at  a  time  when  such  things  are 
needed  to  help  people  think  right." — Mrs.  Alice  Parish. 

"Washington,  D.  C.,  December  6,  1919.— You  have  done 
a  very  useful  piece  of  work  to  produce  a  contribution  of 
value  on  the  life  of  the  ex-President." — Rev.  John  Van 
Schaick,  Jr.,  President  Board  of  Education  of  the  District 
of  Columbia. 

"The  Concord,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  January  9,  1920. — 
Your  'Personal  Memoirs  of  Theodore  Roosevelt'  has  been 


PUBLISHERS'   ANNOUNCEMENT 

received.  It  rivets  our  attention,  and  we  find  it  most  in 
teresting.  It  passed  through  the  hands  of  a  few  intimate 
friends,  who  all  say:  'The  best  we  have  read.'  Your  per 
sonal  association  with  the  Great  American  adds  the 
greatest  interest." — Mrs.  Grace  W.  Smith. 

"Bowdoinham,  Maine,  December  14,  1919. — Every  full- 
blooded  American  ought  to  have  your  'Personal  Memoirs 
of  Theodore  Roosevelt.'  The  Colonel  was  an  American 
through  and  through.  I  wish  we  had  more  of  just  such 
men.  I  think  that  every  family  in  America  ought  to  have 
one  of  your  books." — Cyrus  J.  Greene. 

"Washington,  D.  C.,  December  22,  1919. — Just  the 
formal  phrase  of  'thank  you'  does  not  near  express  my 
feelings  regarding  your  Roosevelt  book.  I  have  found  it 
very  interesting.  You  have  written  a  book  of  which  you 
should  be  proud." — Master  G.  Ross  Popkins. 

"Washington,  D.  C.,  December  19,  1919.— I  love  to  read 
about  Roosevelt  and  his  family.  I  wish  that  I  could  do 
something  for  you  that  would  please  you  as  much  as  that 
book  has  pleased  me.  My  mother  has  purchased  one  to 
send  to  the  library  at  Reedsburg,  Wis." — Master  Frank  A. 
Gunther,  Jr. 

"Office  Collector  of  Customs,  New  York  City. — You  have 
worked  into  ft  many  personal  little  touches  that  one  does 
not  often  get  in  a  book  of  that  sort." — Hon.  Byron  R. 
Neivton,  Collector  of  Customs. 

"Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.,  October  29,  1919. — I  was  very  much 
pleased  to  receive  the  'Personal  Memoirs  of  Theodore 
Roosevelt.'  I  shall  certainly  cherish  it,  as  it  is  a  very 
lovely  book." — Miss  Jennie  Underhill. 

[The  following  letter  alludes  to  an  incident  in  the 
Memoirs  wherein  Roosevelt  is  described  as  addressing  a 
Brotherhood  meeting.] 

"Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.,  March  3,  1920.— I  am  reading  your 
most  interesting  book  on  Theodore  Roosevelt,  and  of  course 
have  special  interest  in  page  92.  I  attended  that  meet 
ing  in  the  Methodist  Church,  and  during  Roosevelt's  talk  I 
noticed  that  he  had  a  piece  of  paper  which  I  supposed 
contained  references.  After  the  service  I  asked  him  if  he 
would  give  me  the  paper  that  he  had  just  put  in  his  Bible, 
and  he  said:  'May  I  ask  what  you  intend  doing  with  it?' 
When  I  told  him  that  I  wished  it  for  a  keepsake,  he  said: 


PUBLISHERS'   ANNOUNCEMENT 

"With  pleasure!"  I  have  the  paper,  which  contains  three 
or  four  Bible  references,  and  his  signature,  in  a  safe 
deposit  box." — Calvin  B.  Velsor,  Contractor  and  Builder. 

FROM  THE  PULPIT 

"Castile,  N.  Y.,  November  29,  1919.— I  read  everything 
I  can  get  about  Theodore  Roosevelt,  one  of  the  three  great 
est  Americans  that  ever  lived.  Your  close-up  view  of  the 
great  President  and  the  very  interesting  way  you  have 
written  these  Memoirs  remind  me  of  BoswelPs  life  of 
Doctor  Johnson,  whom  you  will  remember,  seemed  to  make 
Johnson  live  again.  And  you  have  made  Roosevelt  very 
real,  and  I  appreciate  the  book  more  than  I  can  tell."- 
Geo.  W.  Cook,  the  Singing  Evangelist. 

"Washington,  D.  C.,  November  22,  1919.— I  have  just 
this  moment  found  opportunity  to  look  over  your  book, 
'Personal  Memoirs  of  Theodore  Roosevelt/  and  am  so  thor 
oughly  delighted  with  it  that  I  feel  I  must  send  a  word  of 
thanks  to  you  at  once.  At  first  glance  it  appears  to  me 
the  most  interesting  book  I  have  seen  on  the  life  of  this 
great  American.  The  close-up  view  which  you  have  been 
able  to  give  through  your  intimate  acquaintance  with  his 
everyday  life  and  political  campaigns  is  the  thing  we  all 
want,  and  I  hope  that  every  admirer  of  Roosevelt  may  be 
able,  to  read  this  book." — Rev.  Chas.  A.  Shreve,  Pastor 
McKendree  M.  E.  Church. 

"Walter  Reed  U.  S.  Army  General  Hospital,  Washing 
ton,  December  5,  1919. — After  a  very  careful  and  interest 
ing  reading  of  your  volume  of  'Personal  Memoirs,'  I  can 
truly  say  that  it  is  multum  in  parvo.  It  has  that  essential 
characteristic  which  all  biographies  should  possess, 
namely:  a  personal  touch,  and  by  reason  of  this  character 
istic  the  lamented  Mr.  Roosevelt  lives  in  the  various  inci 
dents  which  you  have  recorded  so  faithfully." — Rev.  E. 
Holmes  Lamar,  Chaplain,  U.  S.  A. 

FROM  THE  PRESS 

"The  one  who  knows  a  great  man  in  his  own  community 
and  home  life  is  the  one  who  can  write  the  story  about  him 
that  will  appeal  to  the  largest  class  of  readers.  Such  a 


PUBLISHERS'   ANNOUNCEMENT 

story  is  'Personal  Memoirs  of  the  late  Theodore  Roosevelt,' 
by  Albert  Loren  Cheney.  *  *  *  It  is  a  book  many  will 
like  to  own  for  its  very  simplicity;  for  its  delineation,  as 
by  a  series  of  snapshots  of  the  man,  Roosevelt,  as  his 
friends  and  his  neighbors  knew  and  loved  him,  rather 
than  as  the  great  public  character." — Waterbury  (Conn.) 
American,  January  3,  1920. 

"Mr.  Cheney  attempts  nothing  elaborate.  His  book  is 
a  collection  of  anecdotes,  dates  and  appreciations  written 
and  collected  by  a  man  who  knew  the  Colonel  in  his  home 
life  at  Sagamore  Hill." — New  York  Sun. 

"The  Signal  editor  has  received  a  copy  of  the  newest 
and  best  Roosevelt  book,  compiled  and  printed  by  Albert 
L.  Cheney,  of  Washington,  an  old  friend  and  home  as 
sociate  of  the  late  Colonel.  It  is  an  attractive  volume, 
bound  in  neat  style  and  should  be  on  the  table  of  every 
American." — South  Side  Signal,  Babylon,  L.  L,  December 
12,  1919. 

"A  volume  of  a  good  deal  of  human  interest  is  Albert 
L.  Cheney's  'Personal  Memoirs  of  the  Home  Life  of  the 
late  Theodore  Roosevelt.'  Mr.  Cheney  was  editor  of  the 
Oyster  Bay  Pilot  and  knew  Col.  Roosevelt  as  one  friendly 
neighbor  knows  another,  and  also  as  a  newspaper  man 
knows  a  public  character  with  whom  he  is  thrown  into 
close  contact.  These  recollections  are  fragmentary  and 
most  informal,  and  perhaps  of  greater  value  because  of 
their  unpretentious  character. — Buffalo  (N.  Y.)  Express, 
January  28,  1920. 

«*  *  *  >phe  author  is  no  novice  in  the  art  of  writing 
— practically  his  whole  life  has  been  devoted  to  that  work. 
*  *  *  The  stories  are  full  of  human  interest." — 
Brooklyn  Eagle. 

East  Greenwich,  R.  I.,  Feb.  26,  1920.— Albert  L.  Cheney, 
a  native  of  this  place,  has  recently  published  a  book  en 
titled  "Personal  Memoirs  of  the  Home  Life  of  the  late 
Theodore  Roosevelt."  In  an  autographed  copy  to  the 
Editor  of  the  Pendulum  he  pays  a  fine  tribute  to  his  former 
home  town.  The  book  is  well  written  and  contains  a 
large  number  of  interesting  photographs. — Fay  R.  Hunt, 
Editor  Pendulum,  East  Greenwich,  R.  I. 


PUBLISHERS'  ANNOUNCEMENT 


I 


PUBLISHERS'  ANNOUNCEMENT 


EVENING    STAR. 


WRITES  PERSONAL  MEMOIRS 

OF  ROOSEVELT'S  HOME  LIFE 


Albert  L.  Cheney,  Author,  Will  Devote 
Share  of  Proceeds  to  Roosevelt  Memo 
rials  in  Washington  and  Oyster  Bay. 


The  author,  from  close  association 
th  Roosevelt  at  Oyster  Bay.  recalls 
iny  anecdotes  of  the  man.  One  story 
as  follows: 


PUBLISHERS'   ANNOUNCEMENT 


I    H-|J-|ljJ-..l{| 

1 
-J  Itu  uJ » i  ili1lillKllilll|iilli^=° 


THE    WASHLVC/J  ION     HERALD 


Roosevelt's 'Neighbor 

Writes  of  the  Colonel 


A  LINE  O1  CHEER 
DAY  0'  THE  YEAR 


PUBLISHERS'   ANNOUNCEMENT 


WASHINGTON   TIMES.    Tj 


D.C  JAN  WRITES 


Albert  L.  Cheney,  chief  clerk  of  the 
board  of  personal  tax  appraisers'  of 
fice  of  the  District  and  former  editor 
of  the  Pilot,  a  newspaper  of  Oyster 
Bay.  N.  T..  has  written  a  book  on  the 
"Personal  Memoirs  of  the  Home  Life 
of  the  I-ate  Theodore  Roosevelt" 


:lt  during  the! 


ance  of  Colonel  Rocs 
Spanish-American  wa 
time  has  had  every 
study  the  home  life 
President. 

The  book  g-tves  anecdotes  of  Roos«-| 
velt  as  soldier,  eovernor,   Vice  Presi 
dent  and  President.     Part  of  the  pro 
ceeds  received  from  the  return  of  the  | 
sale  of  the  book   will  be  donated 
the  fund  for  the  establishment  of  the  ] 
proposed  Roosevelt  Memorial  Park 
Oyster  Bay,  N.  Y.,  the  former  home 
Roosevelt 

Mr  Cheney  tells  In  his  book  of  pes. 
sonal  contact  with  Mr.  Roosevelt,  and 
recite*  Incidents  of  human  Interest  j 
Which  occurred  at  Oyster  Bay 
elsewhere. 

All    thrnugh    the    book    Mr.    Cheney  | 
tells  of  the  wonderful  per 
Roosevelt.      He    tells    of 


only  several  minutes'  assoclat! 
pcrsfcna. 

The   book   also    contains   qu< 
from    speeches   by   prominent 
••sjid  an  at rtbutes  of  local  newspapers  I 
to   Colonel   Roosevelt    at   the   time   off 
his  death. 


ubfl*>cd  Every  Friday  by 

reeiuylfch  Publishing  CoJ 

wich.  Conn.         Telephone  2B 


JOHN  RODEMEYER,  Editor 


U  .  «J  -ig  Co'nipauj,  -• 
*  TK>  Mr.  Cheney  a  number  of 
years  ago  was  a  Bridgeport,  Conn., 
newspaper  man,  editor  of  the  Bridge 
port  Eagle,  and  subsequently  became  j 
publisher  of  the  Oyster  Bay,  (L.  I.) 
Pilot,  where,  as  a  close  personal  friend 
of  the  late  President,  he  'enjoyed 
peculiar  advantages  of  intimate  re 
lations  with  fifs  subject,  tBat  enable  him 
to  make  his  book  a  veritable  mirror  of 
Roosevelt's^home  and*qpmmunity  life, 
which  he  pictures  with  fidelity,  .and 
charm,  giving  glimpses  of  the  statesman 

'out  of  school,"  that  are  absent  from 
the  more  stately  biographies  and  formal 

'appreciations."  The  book  makes  no 
pretension,  tp  being  a  biography  or 
coherent  record  of  any  part  of  Roose 
velt's  career.  It  is  a  fragmentary 
compilation  of  incidents  and  impres 
sions,  humorous,  pathetic  and  ever 
characteristic,  and  of  intense  human 
interest,  acquired  during  an  intercourse 
of  many  years  under  conditions  that 
afforded  exceptional  opportunity  for| 
close  observation  by  the  trained  journal 
ist  who  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  | 
regard  of  Theodore  Roosevelt  to  an 
exceptional  degree.  The  author  an- 1 
nounces  that  a  share  of  the  net  pro 
ceeds  of  his  work  is  to  be  donated  to  the 
Roosevelt  Memorial  fund.  The  price 
is  $2  and  the  book  deserves  a  wide  | 
Distribution. 


Order  through  your  newsdealer  or  direct  from  the 
Cheney  Puhlishing  Company 

Washington,  D.  C. 
Manuscripts  of  all  kinds  revised  and  prepared   for   publication. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


= 

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D           LIBRARY  USE 

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LD  21A-50m-3,'62 
(C7097slO)476B 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


470141 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


